Love Isn't Always Enough
by Phantom Rosabelle
Summary: Andros and Ashley go through some trying times after tragedy strikes. Part one of two.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Does it surprise you to learn that I don't own anything?

**Author's Note:** This story will have two parts. (So don't kill me when you're reading the epilogue.)

**Prologue**

The first thing that Ashley Hammond was aware of when she awoke was that she was most definitely not alone. Two strong arms were wrapped securely around her waist, holding her to the body to which they belonged. A wide smile spread itself slowly over her face as she rolled over, careful not to wake the man still sleeping beside her.

Ashley sighed happily as she remembered the night before, and how gentle and loving he had been with her. She draped an arm over his shoulder, completely content to lie here feeling his heart beating against hers. Last night had forever erased any lingering doubts in her mind that they didn't belong together.

She shivered slightly, and reached down, feeling for the blanket with her hands, not wanting to take her eyes off of him. The covers had slipped off as they'd slept, and she pulled them back up, covering herself from the chin down, warm again once more.

As eager as she was for him to wake up, Ashley felt a small measure of disappointment as he stirred, as she had been perfectly happy just being in his arms, watching him sleep. His hazel eyes widened slightly as he saw her, and Ashley tensed, suddenly anxious. She hadn't thought about how he would react once he remembered...

She shouldn't have worried; his face immediately relaxed into a smile, and he leaned his head forward to capture her lips with his own. "Hi," she whispered once her mouth was free.

"Hi," Andros whispered back to her, his arms tightening their embrace as she slipped her arms around his neck. Hesitantly, he added, "I like waking up like this."

Ashley laughed softly, and hugged him closer. "So do I."

At her words, he felt himself relax completely. For a few moments, there had been a sneaking suspiscion that he'd somehow taken advantage of her. It didn't matter that this was her room, or that she'd invited him in... Ashley was beautiful, too beautiful for him, yet here she was in his arms, staring at him with her sparkling eyes like he was the only person in the universe besides her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked after awhile, her forehead leaning against his. He was gazing at her in complete adoration, something she didn't mind in the least. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her feel... important wasn't the right word, but the closest she could come up with while lost in his eyes. Loved, definitely, but it was more than that. With Andros looking at her the way he was now, it was like she was his reason for being.

"You," he said softly, feeling his heart soar at the delighted smile that filled out her face. "You are so beautiful."

"So are you," she teased him gently, watching as he blushed a very interesting shade of red that made her only want to tease him further, but she stopped, knowing how uncomfortable it would make him feel. Instead, she ran her fingers through the ends of his blond-streaked brown hair, shifting to be in a better position to kiss him.

"I love you, Ashley," Andros said softly, never appreciating the words more than he did now, at this moment, but still finding them inadequate to convey to her what he was feeling.

"I love you too, Andros," Ashley murmured, her head resting against his shoulder, feeling her heart fluttering as it did every time he said those words to her. "So much."

"Ash, I -"

Whatever Andros had been about to say was lost as Deca's voice interrupted with, "It is now time to wake up."

Ashley sighed and sat up, stretching her arms over her head before laying down again, much preferring Andros's embrace to breakfast. "We don't have to get up now, do we?"

"We should," Andros admitted reluctantly.

"I know," Ashley sighed, nestled comfortably in his arms. "I could stay here all day, though."

"So could I," Andros agreed, shoving off the covers as he sat up. Ashley slipped out of bed, picking up her hastily discarded clothing. She tossed them into the laundry basket in her bathroom, stepping back into her room as Andros finished dressing. On his way out the door, Andros stopped, drawing her into of the deepest, most passionate kisses that Ashley could remember.

"I love you," she murmured, staring up into his eyes as if in a trance. Shaking herself free of it, she turned to go back into her bathroom, and added, "I'll see you at breakfast."


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Never said it was.

_**Mz. Daydream:** You might not be so crazy about this story when you see what I do to them this time. :P _

_**Mimi2: **You'll see what Andros was going to say later. Andros and Ashley are adorable!_

_**Melissa:** Here's more. I mean that there's going to be a sequel that starts exactly where this story ends. _

_**Jenny:** Chapter 2 will have substance, I promise. And I know I write too quickly, but I really have no life. :P_

_**can5442:** Here's some more._

_**C.C.C:** You'll see what Andros was going to say later. The timeline is about a month after the Countdown, and the prologue was the morning after Ashley's eighteenth birthday. :P _

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yay, a sister! Wonder where the name came from... :P Yeah, you know this one. Hehe... And you left two minutes before I signed on! _

**Chapter 1**

"Hey, Andros," Ashley said.

"Hi, Ash."

The mere sound of her voice was enough to cause a smile to spring up on his face and send warmth coursing throughout his entire body, but Andros didn't so much as glance up from the star charts he was having Deca upload into the navigational systems. Every now and then the console he was at beeped slightly, and he punched in a few keys, frowning.

"How long have you been here?" Ashley demanded, not missing the fact that Andros's shoulders were slumped forward over the console, and his voice was dulled with boredom.

"An hour?" Andros guessed, still not looking up.

"Deca?" Ashley glanced at the blinking red eye mounted over the doorway.

"Six hours," Deca corrected him.

Ashley sighed, slipping her arms around his neck as she stood behind him, resting her chin on the top of his head. "You need a break."

"I've got too much work to do," Andros protested.

Ashley rolled her eyes and moved to sit on his lap, dangling her legs over the arm of the chair. "You need a break," she repeated, kissing his lips lightly.

"Oh." Andros grinned at her sheepishly. "You meant this kind of break."

Ashley grinned right back at him, nuzzling her face into his neck, sighing happily as she felt his arms go around her. "Actually, I didn't... I need to talk to you."

"Is something wrong?" Andros asked anxiously, his smile slipping away as he turned his head to gaze into her brown eyes.

"Of course not, silly," Ashley said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I was just wondering what you were doing tomorrow night."

"The Megaship definitely needs some upgrades," Andros said, sighing heavily. "I'll be working on that all week."

"No, you won't," Ashley said firmly, toying with the ends of his hair. "Not during the mornings or nights. It's not important, and you need more than three hours of sleep."

"Ashley..." Andros started to protest, and sighed. His head was starting to pound, and his vision was beginning to blur from six hours of staring mindlessly at the same console. The prospect of spending several more hours with Ashley while Deca did most of the necessary work suddenly appealed to him. "All right."

"That was easy," Ashley remarked, giving in to temptation and placing several kisses along the side of his neck. "You must really be bored."

"Not really," Andros said, his skin tingling as she continued to kiss him. "You've just been a horrible influence on me."

"I have not!" Ashley exclaimed indignantly, pulling back abruptly to glare at him half-heartedly.

"You have," Andros insisted, his affection for her evident in his voice. He paused and added softly, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Ashley replied with a grin, looking rather pleased with herself. "So you're not busy tomorrow night?"

"Where are we going?" Andros asked, giving her a knowing look.

Ashley only grinned at him. "Don't worry," she assured him. "I won't make you go dancing."

Andros gave her a sheepish look. It wasn't the dancing he minded; he loved any excuse to have Ashley close, as she knew well enough by now. It was the dancing in front of other people that made him painfully shy.

"So where?" he asked. "The movies?"

"Nope," Ashley said. "Dinner at my parents house."

"What?" Andros asked. It seemed to be the only safe response, although maybe not safe enough.

"I just thought that they should get to know you," Ashley said, her smile slipping for an instant. "They think I'm too young to be in a serious relationship, and I know that if they get to know you, they'll lighten up."

"Ash..." Andros said uncertainly. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Very sure," Ashley said firmly, although her voice sounded much more certain than she felt. "Don't worry, they'll love you. They have to."

"Why?"

"'Cause I love you," Ashley said, completely relaxed as he cradled her in his arms. Andros smiled and kissed her temple.

"I love you too, Ashley," he whispered.

The console beeped loudly, and Ashley jumped. Andros sighed, and reached forward with his left arm, his right one still wrapped firmly around her waist. He punched in a few codes and settled back in his seat as Deca continued her work.

"You'll keep me company, won't you?" Andros begged. "I won't be here very much longer."

Ashley pretended to consider. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Several planetoids were obliterated in the war," Andros explained. "Deca's updating all the star charts using the most current data."

"You work too hard," Ashley told him, rolling her eyes. "How important is this, really?"

"Not very," Andros admitted. "But it has to be done."

"So what are you here for?" Ashley asked. "It doesn't sound like Deca needs any help."

"The navigational systems are vital to the Megaship," Andros said. "Deca needs my password before making any permanent changes. It prevents someone from hacking."

"Someone like Zhane?" Ashley asked with a grin.

"How'd you know?" Andros asked, slightly startled.

"You're not the hacking type," Ashley said after a moment. Andros thought she was trying hard not to laugh. "Deca, how much longer should this take?"

"Approximately another five hours," Deca replied, and Andros groaned. Ashley sighed.

"That's enough for one day," she said firmly. "Come on, get up."

"I can't," he protested. "Not unless you move."

"I don't want to," Ashley said, nuzzling closer to him. "I'm perfectly comfortable here."

"Ashley!"

She grinned, and climbed out of his lap, allowing Andros to stand up. He hadn't changed position in over six hours, and the blood rushed back through his body, leaving him lightheaded and more than a little dizzy.

"You work too hard," Ashley said again, steadying him with one arm as his head cleared. "Did you know you missed dinner?"

"I did?" Andros looked startled. "How late is it?"

"It's past ten," Ashley said, slipping her hand into his. "Come on. You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry," he said, stifling a yawn. "I think I'll just go to bed."

Several remarks popped into Ashley's head at that, and it was only reluctantly that she swallowed them. Smothering a grin, she reached for his hand, letting him lead her to his bedroom. She followed him in without a second thought, her mind drifting back to the night before as a smile that she couldn't suppress slowly took over her face.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, not mine, not mine!

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** The world is crazy... but so are you. :P_

_**Chylea3784:** I can promise you that they'll be happy by the end of the sequel. This one maybe not so much. _

_**Jeanka:** Not for awhile, around chapter ten._

_**Jessica01:** Nope, we don't need to. :P _

_**Melissa:** There chapters are a lot shorter than the one's from Saving Angel, but there going to get longer. _

_**Juzblue:** Thanks_

**Chapter 2**

The air was cool enough, but the room seemed stifling warm to Ashley as well as Andros, who kept his eyes from darting towards her only by some unknown force of will. Although he would have appeared perfectly composed to an outsider, he couldn't quite manage to conceal his anxiety from her, but Ashley was fairly certain that her parents had no idea how nervous he was.

"Ashley, honey, see if Andros wants some more chicken," Mrs. Hammond urged. Her daughter somehow managed to refrain both from rolling her eyes up at the ceiling and pointing out that her mother could have just as easily asked Andros herself.

"Andros, would you like some more chicken?" she asked, turning to him with a cheery smile pasted on her face. Andros allowed himself to meet her eyes for one of the few times that evening, and slowly shook his head.

"No, thank you," he said softly. "Dinner was delicious, Mrs. Hammond."

"Thank you, Andros," Ashley's mother said, a faint look of surprise written across her face. "That's very kind of you."

Andros smiled and nodded briefly before carefully averting his eyes and concentrating hard on his now empty plate. Silence settled over them again, broken by the occasional soft chink of silver against china. The door opening temporarily relieved them from their discomfort.

"Jeff!" Ashley exclaimed happily the instant she spotted her older brother. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you really think I can cook for myself?" he asked with a grin, giving his mother a hug. "Think, Ash."

Ashley grinned back. "Jeff, this is Andros. Andros, this is my brother, Jeff."

"Hi," Jeff said. "So you're the guy who's dating my little sister? Kidding!" he added hastily, inching away from Ashley's glare.

"Jeff, would you like some food? There's plenty."

"No, it's all right, Mom," Jeff told her, quickly taking in the expressions of everyone seated at the table. "I've got to go soon, anyway. I'll just make myself a sandwhich."

"Oh, don't worry," Alice Hammond said. "I'll make it for you. I need to talk to Ashley in the kitchen for a minute anyway."

Ashley grimaced slightly and stood, her hand brushing against Andros's shoulder for just the briefest second as she passed by him, but he knew that it had been a deliberate touch; a silent encouragement.

With a sigh, Ashley follwed her mother into the kitchen. "Well?"

"Ashley..."

"Mom, just say it," she all but shouted. "You don't like him."

"I don't hate him, Ashley," Alice was quick to say. "But I'm not impressed by him."

"Just give him a chance, Mom," Ashley insisted. "He's really sweet."

"I don't doubt that he is," her mother said after a moment. "But anybody can be sweet."

Ashley exhaled slowly, finding that silently counting to ten did nothing to pull her temper back into check. "Mom, you've known him for less than an hour! You can't judge him so quickly. I've-"

She stopped speaking abruptly as it dawned on her that she was practically shouting now. The kitchen door was still wide open, and she had no doubt that her words had carried as far as Andros's ears. She groaned miserably, leaning forward onto the counter to let her face hide itself in her hands.

_"Ash? Should I go now?"_ Andros spoke to her telepathically, his voice much more subdued than was normal, even for him.

_"No,"_ she told him quickly, feeling sharp pangs of guilt for the unease she heard in his voice. _"Everything's fine. There's just dessert now, and then we can go."_

_"All right, then," _he said dubiously, obviously uncomfortable saying any more than that. _"If you're sure it's all right."_

_"It's fine," _she assured him. _"Really."_

"Ashley..."

"Mom, just trust me," she pleaded. "Andros is really important to me."

"Ashley..."

"Mom, I'm eighteen," she said, her temper reaching its breaking point. "If I want to be with Andros, then you can't do anything about it."

"Maybe not," her mother said stiffly. "But I don't have to like it."

"Mom," Ashley said helplessly. "Just give him a chance, please."

"Go sit down, Ashley," Alice said. "We'll talk about this later."

Swallowing down her scream of frustration, Ashley turned on her heel and stalked back into the dining room, forcing a sunny smile onto her stormy face as Andros caught her eye.

His face was still calm, but his normally soft hazel eyes were blazing with fury. Ashley opened her mouth, intending to demand to know what her father had just said to her boyfriend, but her anger subsided as Andros glanced up at her, the urge to break down and cry replacing it. Behind his own anger, his eyes were filled with a deep hurt that, in her opinion, was there far too often.

"Is everything all right?" Daniel Hammond asked his daughter.

"Everything's fine, Dad," Ashley said quietly, on the verge of tears. Under the table, her fingers groped blindly for Andros's. He seemed hesitant to touch her, the result of her father's unnerving stare, but the look in Ashley's eyes prompted him to squeeze her fingers for the briefest moment before quickly dropping her hand.

_"What did he say to you?"_

_"It doesn't matter, Ash,"_ he said quietly. _"Look, maybe I should just go."_

_"But..."_ Ashley sighed, knowing that she had no right to beg him to stay. He was already uneasy enough, and she doubted that the evening would improve even marginally. _"I'll come later."_

"I'm sorry," Andros said quietly, standing up slowly, deliberately avoiding everyone's eyes. "I have some work to do. Thank you for dinner."

Neither of Ashley's parents made a reply of any sort. Shooting a healthy glare at both of them, she jumped up from her seat, slipping her arm through Andros's as he headed to the door. She felt him tense at her touch, as if he feared she would turn on him without her parent's approval. Her fingers tightening gently over his elbow, she walked him to the door, following him out into the cool night air of early September.

"I'm sorry," she said, her fingers reaching up to stroke his cheek. "I didn't know that they'd be like this."

"It's all right," he said stiffly after a short pause. "You don't have to apologize for them, Ashley."

"Then let me apologize for bringing you here," she insisted. "Andros, I feel so horrible."

"I know you do," he said, sighing. "Good night, Ash."

She shook her head, offering him a tiny smile. "I'll be there just as soon as I say good night to my parents."

Andros relaxed at her words and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close for as long as he dared, knowing her parents were eyeing him warily. "I'll see you later, then."

"I love you," Ashley whispered, tilting her head up to brush her lips lightly against his.

He gave her a slight smile before vanishing in a flickering stream of red light. Ashley sighed heavily as he left to return to his safe haven of the Megaship, drawing in a deep breath before turning to face her parents, who had moved to the doorway the moment Andros had gone.

"I don't care what you think," she told them bluntly, not moving further into the house than the threshold. "I love Andros."

"We can see that," Daniel said cooly.

"Dad, I'm eighteen," she reminded them. "I don't need your approval to date Andros."

"Ashley, you turned eighteen the day before yesterday," Alice protested. "You're not old enough to understand these kinds of things."

"I'm old enough to understand that you have a problem with the man that I love," Ashley snapped. "Did you even **try** to like him?"

"Of course we did," Alice snapped back, defensively. "But Ashley, wouldn't you be happier with someone... more like you?"

"Someone from Earth, you mean?" Rage burned through Ashley's eyes as she glared at her mother. "Is that it?"

"Part of it," Alice admitted. "But Ashley - "

"No," she shouted. "You've always taught me to accept other people, Mom, no matter what their skin or religion. How's this any different?"

"Ashley, this isn't about skin color," Daniel interjected. "Is he even human?"

"Is **that** what you asked him?" Ashley demanded, completely aghast. "No wonder he left! Do you know how hurt he was?"

"He didn't even care enough about you to stick it out," Daniel said trimphantly.

Her mouth hanging slightly open, Ashley stared at her parents, dumbfounded, tears welling up in her eyes. "If it means anything to you, I told him to go," she informed her father quietly. "You obviously hate him, and there's no reason to subject himself to that when he would rather be somewhere else."

"Subject himself?" Daniel repeated, outraged. "Why do you keep taking his side?"

"I love him," Ashley shouted back defiantly.

"Ashley, stop being such a silly, stupid girl," Alice snapped. "You might love him, and he might love you, which I doubt, but love isn't always enough. It takes more than that to make it."

"I don't care what you think," Ashley cried. "I love Andros. Andros loves me. That's all that matters."

"Where do you think you're going?" Daniel demanded as Ashley began backing away to the door. "Don't tell me you're going to him!"

"I am," she snapped.

"You're sleeping with him, aren't you?" Daniel accused her. "Ashley, what's **wrong** with you?"

"He'll just use you," Alice was quick to add. "Once he's gotten what he wants, he'll leave you."

"He hasn't yet," Ashley shouted, wincing inwardly, realizing that she'd given away more than she'd meant to.

"You are sleeping with him!" Alice breathed, glaring at her only daughter. "I thought you knew better, Ashley."

"Mom, I fought back to back with him for almost a year," Ashley said quietly, still pleading with them to understand. "If I can trust him with my life, I can trust him with anything else."

"Then go trust him," Alice told her icily.

"But don't you ever come back," Daniel finished. "Choose. Us or him."

It was an instant decision, her choice made even before her father had finished speaking. Turning on her heel, Ashley stormed from the house without a backward glance or parting word. As she disappeared into a streak of yellow light, she thought she heard her mother's voice calling after her, but it was too late for that.

Ashley knew where she belonged, and she wasn't turning back now.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers is the property of Disney. Not me.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I told you, sims Ashley and Andros just need to try harder. :D_

_**Chylea3784:** That's a good word for it. But on the plus side, Andros gets to comfort her. _

_**Juzblue:** I hate them too:P_

_**C.C.C:** No, he knows that Ashley loves him no matter what her parents think. And if he didn't know, there's no way she'd let him think that way for long. :P_

_**Just Jill:** It didn't occur to me until I was writing the chapter. I just needed an excuse for Ashley to end up disowned, but at some point I'll have a story where I can mess with the alien/human thing. _

_**Jenny:** That's because your stories are happy. :P I will write a story someday where we like Ashley's parents! Really..._

_**Melissa:** Grr... It's supposed to be "they're." You should spell-check everything for me. :P_

**Chapter 3**

Andros opened his eyes the next morning to find Ashley wrapped up in his arms. He smiled to find her right where she belonged, the expression fading away as he took in the fresh tears that stained her face.

He sighed, knowing that she must have woken up again. Berating himself for not waking up along with her, Andros tightened the hold he had on her, absently stroking her soft hair with one hand, wondering if she regretted her decision.

The anger had been long gone from her eyes when she'd shown up on the Megaship the night before, replaced by a constant stream of tears. She'd practically fallen into his arms, and though he could guess what had happened, it had taken him quite awhile to work the story out of her.

Andros couldn't help but feel sharp, strong pangs of guilt as he gazed down at her tearstained face. He'd known that her parents hadn't exactly loved him, and he hadn't been exactly fond of them either, but maybe if he'd tried a little harder, for Ashley's sake...

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Ashley whispered, feeling him jump as he realized she was awake. "Stop thinking so loud."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, hugging her close.

"I know you are," she whispered. "But Andros, none of this was your fault. My parents made me choose... and I chose you."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm glad you did," he offered softly.

"I think it does, a little," Ashley said finally. "It just would have been nice not having to."

Not knowing how to respond, Andros kept quiet, smoothing her hair back from her face. Finding his touch more soothing than any words he could have said, Ashley nuzzled herself closer to the warmth his body offered her, strangely calm.

"Thank you," she said softly. "For holding me."

Andros hugged her closer in response, his arms encircling her in a grip meant to tell her he was never going to let her go. Ashley buried her face in his chest, never wanting him to.

"Ashley," he whispered, drawing back just far enough to plant soft kisses across her cheek. "Are you going to be all right?"

"I'm okay," she muttered, letting the air out of her lungs. "You can go if you want."

"I'm not going anywhere," Andros said firmly. As if to prove his point, he squeezed her hard, telling her, "And you're not okay."

"I will be," she said after a pause. "My parents and I... we haven't gotten along that great for a long time. I probably won't even miss them..."

Her face crumpled even as she spoke, tears running silently out of her eyes. Wordlessly, Andros tightened his arms around her, rocking her back and forth as the he felt the front of his shirt dampen with her tears. With one hand, he gently stroked her hair, waiting patiently for her body to cease shuddering before speaking.

"Do you... want to go back to them?" he couldn't keep himself from asking. "Maybe just to say goodbye?"

"No." Ashley swallowed hard. "There wouldn't be a point. They've already said goodbye to me. As far as they're concerned, they've only got Jeff now."

"I'm sorry, Ash," he said softly, truly meaning the words. He knew all too well how much it hurt to lose both parents, but sensed that Ashley was hurting far worse than he had, because her parents were still living.

"Don't be," she whispered, calming herself with deep, shaky breaths. "This wasn't your fault, Andros. If they can't accept that I love you, that's their problem, not ours."

"I love you too, Ash," he murmured.

"I should get up now," she mumbled, swiping angrily at her eyes. Andros caught her hand and dried her tears himself, gently wiping her cheeks with the hem of the sheet.

"You don't have to," he said, more than willing to lie in bed with her for the remainder of the day.

"But I should," she pointed out, struggling into a sitting position. Andros sat up as well, drawing her into his lap when she made no move to climb out of bed. He felt Ashley's body relax against his own even as her voice protested, "I've got too much to do today."

"Like what?"

"Like finding a place to live, for a start," she said. "And then I'll need a job to pay the rent for an apartment... and a second job, since I doubt my parents are going to pay for my college anymore. And then I've got a class in an hour."

"Ashley..." Andros watched her with a frown. "You want to work two jobs and go to college at the same time?"

"Of course I don't **want** to," she said. "But I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Let me help you," he pleaded suddenly, knowing instantly that Ashley was going to work herself to death just to prove that she could survive on her own.

"Andros, I... how?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But you can't do this on your own, Ash."

"I can," she insisted, her tone half-hearted at best.

"But you shouldn't." Andros smoothed some stray curls of hair out of her eyes, his hand trailing gently across her skin to run small circles along the back of her neck. "Ash... you've been in college for two weeks, and already you've got too much work. You don't have time for even one job."

"Andros..." Ashley started, stopped, and sighed, having no choice but to admit, if only to herself, that he was right. "What are you saying?"

"You could live here," he suggested quietly, not quite meeting her eye. He didn't have to look to know that she was staring at him, too stunned to speak, and though he now regretted uttering the words, he could neither take them back nor deny that he didn't want her in his arms every night for a long, long time.

Finally being completely honest with himself, Andros could admit that something had drawn him to Ashley Hammond the moment he'd laid eyes on her, the same something that he had tried to deny for months, even after the gradual wearing down of all the walls he had built up over the years.

And now... Ashley had told him rather shyly that it felt to her as though he was a part of herself, and although he'd choked on the words, Andros knew that he loved her more than life itself and if he were to lose her, his life would become mere existence.

He'd come so close to telling her all this the morning when he had first woken to find her in his arms, but when Deca had interrupted, his courage had vanished, and he doubted that he'd ever find it again.

"Ash?" he said softly, his voice wavering inaudibly. She hadn't spoken, hadn't even moved since he'd let the words slip out of his mouth.

"Are you... asking me to live with you?" Ashley finally managed to ask.

Andros nodded wordlessly.

"Not just live here?" Ashley continued, just to be sure she had it right. Her fingers grasped his chin and forced his eyes to meet hers. "But live with you?"

Andros nodded again, uncertainty filling out his features. "I'll understand if you don't want to," he said, his voice a shaky whisper. "But... I love you, Ash."

"I know you do," she told him, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "I love you too, Andros. More than anything. But... this... is really sudden."

"I know." Andros glanced down at his hands before muttering, "I just - "

"Hey, I didn't say no," Ashley interrupted quickly, knowing that it had taken almost more courage than he had to make the suggestion in the first place.

A shaky smile appeared on Andros's face. "You didn't?"

"No," she said firmly. "I just didn't say yes... Can I think about it?"

"Yes," he whispered, his arms tightening around her waist. The sweet scent of her shampoo calmed his nerves and he buried his face in her soft hair, saying nothing as he let the pounding of his heart slow. Deciding it wouldn't be wise to force the issue, he resolved to let Ashley be the one who brought the subject up, whenever she was ready.

And besides that, he doubted he had the nerve to ask her again anyway.

Ashley smiled suddenly, leaning up to press her mouth to his, feeling him relax as their lips met sweetly. Wondering what exactly it was that she wanted to think about, she told him, "I'll tell you tonight."


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Ashley's his girlfriend because the producers didn't know about us. :P_

_**Alacrita:** I will, don't worry._

_**Melissa:** Actually, he doesn't have a house. Yet. :D_

_**Mz. Daydream:** Of course she's gonna say yes! And yes, we all want a guy like Andros. :P_

_**Jessica01:** Actually, the ship is too big for both of them..._

_**Just Jill:** The ending isn't going to be happy, but there's going to be a sequel that picks up right where this one leaves off and that one will end all right. _

**Chapter 4**

"Let's go through this again," Cassie Chan said, shaking her long raven hair out behind her as she stared at her best friend. "I went away for one weekend and in that time you slept with Andros, your parents kicked you out because they don't like Andros, and Andros asked you to live with him."

"Yeah..." Ashley shifted uncomfortably and tried hard to laugh. "Fun weekend."

"Ash, I didn't mean..." Cassie sighed and shook her head. "I wasn't teasing you... it's just a lot to take in."

"Definitely a lot to take in," Ashley said dryly. Her voice now more pleading than Cassie had ever heard, she added softly, "Please help me."

"Ash, it's gonna be all right," Cassie assured her with a confidence she didn't feel. "One thing at a time, okay?"

"Okay," Ashley whispered, letting out a lungful of air. "What's the first thing?"

"Finding you somewhere to live," Cassie said immediately. "Look, you're more than welcome to move in here if you need to, but... what do you want? Do you want to live with Andros?"

"I don't know," Ashley admitted, fiddling with the ends of her hair. "I love him. I love Andros more than anything, but... well, it seems awfully fast."

"That's because it is," Cassie said with a frown. "But you love him, and I know he loves you, Ash. It wouldn't be easy, but... I think you guys can make it."

"You do?" Ashley asked hopefully. "Really?"

"Really," Cassie said firmly. "It would take a lot of work, but as long as the love is there, I know that you'll be fine."

Ashley hesitated, the hope slowly fading. "My mom, she said that love isn't always enough."

"For some people, it is," Cassie said with a shrug. "But, Ash, you and Andros aren't most people."

"Yeah..."

"Look, Ash," Cassie continued. "If you think moving in with him would be a mistake, then don't, because it would become a mistake. If living with Andros is what you really want, then just do it."

"It's what I really want," Ashley whispered, visibly torn. "But we've only slept together twice..."

"Forget about that for a minute," Cassie advised her. "Is moving in with Andros what you want? What you really want?"

Ashley nodded slowly. "But - "

"You've only slept with him twice," Cassie finished. "I know."

"I just... don't want to do anything to mess this up," Ashley said softly. "When I'm with him, everything's just so perfect, and I can't help thinking that we're going to ruin it somehow if we go too fast."

"Tell him that," Cassie urged her. "Ash, do you really think you could say anything that Andros wouldn't respect?"

"No," Ashley admitted, exhaling. "I don't. And that scares me sometimes."

"Ash?"

"I don't think there's anything Andros wouldn't do for me," Ashley explained, her eyes darkening. "And I'm afraid that someday, he'll get tired of... of..."

"Of loving you?" Cassie finished softly. "Ash, I've seen the way his eyes light up whenever you walk into a room. He loves you. Not the kind of love that goes away after a few months. He really loves you."

Ashley smiled wanly. "I know he does," she said. "But it's possible to love someone and hate them at the same time."

"Ash, there is **nothing** you could do to make him hate you," Cassie said firmly.

Ashley nodded slowly, her eyes beginning to shine again. "I really have to talk to him," she said. "But... I do want to live with him, Cass. I'm not sure I can live without him anymore."

"I know," Cassie said with a quiet laugh. "You were about to run back to him when he showed up on the Megaship and told Deca to set a course for Earth."

"Yeah..." Ashley admitted quietly. "I was."

"So you're really going to live with him?"

"Yeah," Ashley said softly. "I think I am."

"And now that that's settled," Cassie said with a wicked grin, "we can move onto more important things."

"Like?"

"What's it like?"

Ashley blushed slightly, the color fading from her cheeks as a dreamy stare took over her face. "It's... nice."

"Nice?" Cassie snickered. "Ash!"

Ashley laughed, zoning back into reality. "I've never felt anything like it before. It's like... like there's nothing in the world besides the two of us. And Andros... lots of people have told me I'm beautiful, Cass, but when Andros tells me, I really believe it."

"How much did it hurt?"

"Kind of a lot, actually," Ashley admitted. "But it was only for a minute and after that, I forgot about it."

"I'll bet you did." Cassie laughed. "So he's good, then?"

"Yeah." Ashley grinned, blushing again, the dreamy vacantness returning to her eyes. "He's amazing. He's... just Andros, but he wasn't holding anything back. I could see everything he was feeling in his eyes and he... he just... I love him."

Cassie laughed, the sound tinged with an envy her best friend didn't notice. Her best friend had a boyfriend, no, her best friend had a **lover**, and here she was, half in love with an intergalactic warrior she hadn't laid eyes on in a nearly a year, not to mention the little problem of being half in love with one of her best friends.

Still... Ashley was her best friend, and she couldn't be jealous of her for long.

"So go talk to him," she urged. "He's gonna want to know that you've decided."

"Probably." Ashley grinned and flung her arms around Cassie's neck. "Thank you."

Cassie shook her head. "Anytime, Ash."

**---**

"Hey."

Andros had been laying on his bunk, half dozing, but when Ashley's voice shattered the silence, his eyes snapped open and he sat, staring at her in poorly hidden apprehension.

"Hi," he said nervously, offering her a tentative smile. "Ash, I..."

"We need to talk, Andros," Ashley told him seriously, settling herself cross-legged across from him.

"I..." Andros stopped and swallowed, his throat very dry. "Ashley, when I said - "

"Let me talk," Ashley pleaded, interrupting before he had the chance to say anymore. "Please?"

He nodded, not sure whether to be anxious or relieved when Ashley smiled.

"I love you," she said softly, reaching out to clasp his hands in hers. "If you really want me to live with you, there's nothing that I'd like more."

Andros breathed a little easier, his heart nearly stopping as Ashley continued with, "But..."

"But what?" he blurted out before he could catch himself. "Ash, I really want you here."

"I know you do," Ashley assured him, giving his fingers a reassuring squeeze. "But Andros, if we really move in together, we need to talk about some things first."

"Okay," he agreed readily. "Like what?"

"Well..." Ashley hesitated, her eyes flickering to Deca's eye. "Andros, living on the Megaship wouldn't really be practical."

"Oh," he said quietly, his eyes dropping down to where her hands rested on his.

"So I was thinking..." Ashley paused, biting her lip. "I was thinking... maybe we could, you know... find a house..."

"A house?" Surprise written all across his face, Andros could only stare at her. "But don't we need money for that?"

"I have some," Ashley told him. "When my grandma died, she left both me and Jeff some money. It was kind of a lot, and it's been in the bank for ten years... It might be smarter to use the money for school, but I think it's enough for a down payment on a house, and then if we both had jobs, then we could make the payments..."

Andros let her babble on, not speaking a word until she'd finally paused for breath. "I don't really understand what you're saying," he admitted, offering her a sheepish smile. "But you've thought this through, haven't you?"

"Well... as much as I can think it through in four hours," Ashley said with a hesitant smile. "Look, I know we need to think it through a little more, but do you want to?"

Andros stared into Ashley's shining brown eyes, wondering if it was even possible for him to **not** want to. "Yes," he said slowly, his smile spreading. "I do."

Ashley's eyes lit up and she flung her arms around his neck with enough force to knock him back into his pillows. Andros grunted as she landed on top of him, but she didn't move. A moment later, she felt his arms go around her as well and she grinned into his pillow, wishing that he could be this close forever.


	6. Chapter 5

**Dislcaimer:** Not mine!

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Here's more. _

_**Mz. Daydream:** This story's gonna be different, but not yet. :P Yay, you're going to update!_

_**Juzblue:** There will be a little bit of Cassie with TJ, but it won't come until later. _

_**Just Jill:** Nope, no happy ending for awhile. I had too many ideas for this story, and I didn't want to rush it by cramming it all into one giant story._

_**Jessica01:** You'll see later. And that's one more boyfriend than I've had. :P_

_**Jenny:** Don't worry, there's a tragedy coming! I just have to set it up first... :P Good luck with your homework._

_**Melissa:** Actually, that's this chapter. :P I'd so name my kids Justice and Liberty, but those might be better as middle names, don't ya think?_

**Chapter 5**

Ashley opened her eyes bleariy, glaring half-heartedly at Andros as he shook her shoulder gently. The fact that he was fully dressed and wide awake registered slowly in her mind, and for several moments, she was tempted to just roll over and drift back to sleep.

"Ash, you're going to be late for school."

"Mmph," Ashley mumbled, shoving his hand away from her as her eyes closed once again. She could have sworn she heard laughter, and gradually, her senses began working again. Andros's lips covered hers gently for the briefest instant before wandering over the remainder of her face, placing gentle, feather soft kisses across her cheeks, her nose, her closed eyelids.

"Ashley." He whispered her name quietly, and then again more loudly when she didn't respond. His hand was shaking her shoulder again, a little less gently than before, and eventually, Ashley had no choice but to open her eyes. She sat up slowly, her muscles not at all willing to start the day.

"Morning," she mumbled, nearly collapsing against him, her eyes refusing to stay open. Andros's arms encircled her waist, and she found that the steady rhythm of his breathing was nearly enough to lull her back into sleep. Andros must have realized that as well, for a moment later, one arm had left her waist and was beneath her knees, and a moment after that, her bare feet had met the cold wooden floorboards of their home.

"Ash, you're going to be late," Andros repeated, laughing quietly as she wrinkled her nose at him.

"I don't care," she said with a yawn, her voice still think with sleep. "I'd rather stay with you."

"So would I." Andros gave her a quick kiss before adding, "But I have to go to work, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

Her mind cleared some more, just enough for Ashley to remember that Andros had been hired a few days before by NASADA, using his Karovan background to help them in their attempt to make Earth a League planet. Frankly, she thought the job boring as hell, and suspected that he did as well, but knew that he would never admit to it. NASADA did pay well, after all - well enough to cover Ashley's college tuition with plenty left over.

Andros had talked her out of applying for a job, arguing that she was under enough stress as it was, and if she added work to school, with her sense of responsibility, she was likely to have nervous breakdown. Ashley had been reluctant to do so, but she'd had to admit that he was right. There was really no possible way for her to balance full-time school with full-time work, so in the end, Andros was the one who'd found a job.

With a sigh, Ashley wrapped her arms around his neck. She hugged him hard, not wanting him to think that she wasn't grateful for all he'd done for her and all the sacrifices he'd made to be with her.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too, Ash," he whispered back, his breath warm in her ear. "Always."

She smiled and stepped back, glancing at the digital alarm clock by their bedside and winced as she realized that it was past seven and she had a class in less than an hour.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded, digging through her drawers for something clean to wear. She didn't have time to be fancy, and quickly settled on a faded pair of jeans and a yellow sweatshirt.

Andros shot her an amused glance as he watched her change. "What do you think I was trying to do?" he demanded. "You aren't exactly a light sleeper."

"I meant earlier," Ashley retorted, wriggling into her jeans. "I was supposed to be up a half hour ago!"

Andros looked sheepish now. "I woke up before the alarm went off," he explained. "I was going to wake you up, but then you just looked so peaceful..."

Ashley laughed, coming over to wrap her arms around his neck as he blushed. "You're too sweet," she murmured, stroking his cheek for just a moment before she realized how little time she had.

"Do you want something to eat?" he asked, glancing at the clock.

"Nah," Ashley said with a shake of her head, reaching for her hairbrush. "If I have time, I'll eat something at school. If not, I've only got one class today so I'll be home by ten-thirty... You don't have to wait for me, Andros. Go to work."

"I'll see you later," he said, stepping forward to kiss her good-bye before leaving their room. Ashley heard the door open and slam shut a moment later. Andros's car started just as she found her left shoe, and he was long gone by the time she found her right one.

Shoving her feet into them, she ran out of the bedroom, skidding to a halt as she passed the kitchen. She had forty-five minutes to drive across town, find a parking spot and make it to class on time. It would be close, but now that she thought of it, she was starving, and beginning to wish that she'd taken Andros up on his offer to make her some breakfast.

Sighing, she pulled open the refrigerator, her stomach demanding chocolate. With cheese. She slammed it shut as the first wave of nausea hit her. Leaning against the fridge, she closed her eyes, breathing deeply through her nose, knowing that if she opened her mouth, she would be down on her hands and knees, vomiting.

Groaning silently at the thought of how late she was going to be, Ashley kept her eyes closed until her stomach had settled, sighing with relief as whatever had been troubling her passed. Deciding that it might be for the best to skip breakfast after all, she moved towards the door - only to find herself in the bathroom a moment later, crouched down by the toilet.

The worst feeling in the world, she thought miserably, was throwing up. If she'd been given the choice, she would have gladly remained bedridden for two weeks wiith the worst case of strep throat she could ever recall having as a child than be here now, even for ten minutes.

She didn't know how long she remained there on the bathroom floor, but it was much too long for her liking. Her stomach continued to empty itself long after she thought it was possible, and even when she was sure that there was no food left inside her, the nausea refused to leave her.

Finally, she judged it safe to leave the bathroom and stood unsteadily, gripping the edge of the sink as she struggled to shake of the sudden sense of dizziness she was overcome with. Rinsing her mouth out thouroughly, she wandered back into her bedroom, knowing that no one at school would thank her for sharing the flu with them.

Kicking off her shoes, Ashley sank down onto the soft, warm sheets, burying herself underneath the blankets, more than ready to drift off to sleep. A moment later, she bolted upright, her eyes widening. Dimly, she realized that she didn't feel sick any longer, and she was having the strangest food cravings...

She swallowed hard, settling back into the pillows before letting herself to remember that she was a month and a half late...

Tears welled up in her eyes, cascading down her cheeks when her eyes brimmed too full to hold them in. Drawing her knees up to her chest, Ashley did her best not to panic.

She couldn't just ignore the fact that she and Andros hadn't once discussed birth control, much less actually used it. With a heavy sigh, Ashley dragged herself out of bed, knowing that there was suddenly a whole lot she had to do today.

**---**

Andros felt his lips quirk up into a smile when he found Ashley later that night. She was curled up in their bed, completely hidden under the blankets. Careful not to shake the bed in case she'd fallen asleep, Andros slowly sank down alongside her still form, his fingers, slipping beneath the blankets to stroke her soft hair.

He thought he felt her stir just the tiniest bit and his smile grew. Drawing back the covers, he leaned over her sleepy form, kissing her cheek gently. He was startled to find her skin damp and clammy, and upon closer inspection, he saw tear trails marking her face.

"Ashley," he said loudly, running his fingers through her hair, wanting to wake her gently. "Ash, wake up."

"Go away," she muttered, turning away from his touch.

"Ash," he said softly, drawing his hand back. "It's just me."

"Andros?"

"Who else?" he retorted, his tone light, although he was frowning. "Ash, what's wrong?"

Ashley opened her eyes then, and stared up at him through a haze of new tears, too afraid to guess at what his reaction would be. "Andros, I need to talk to you..."


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, never have, sadly never will.

_**Melissa:** Actually... I think I like the names more than our country. :P Grr.. seriously, you should spell-check everything for me. _

_**Juzblue:** Here's some more._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I thought it might be nice to make her smart for once. :P And seriously, if they're living together and have never used birth control, she'd have to be in denial for it not to have occured to her. _

_**Just Jill:** I have no idea what kind of cravings pregnant women have, chocolate and cheese just sounded pretty gross._

_**Jenny:** This is the romance part! The tragedy's coming... How's the Christmas special? _

**Chapter 6**

"Pregnant?" Andros repeated dimly. "You're pregnant?"

Ashley nodded slowly, her face crumpling as she curled up into a small ball. A fresh stream of tears trickled slowly down her cheeks as she did her best not to look at him, knowing that she couldn't bear to see him glaring at her with hate in his eyes.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," she whispered, her throat too tight to let her say anymore.

"Ashley..."

When Andros's fingers gently grasped her chin, Ashley didn't have the energy to shy away from him and instead forced herself to meet his hazel eyes, astonished to find that he didn't look the least bit angry with her.

"Andros?"

"Ashley..." Andros stared at her blankly, his mind still struggling to grasp the meaning of her words. "We're having a baby?"

"Yes," she mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he demanded, leaving Ashley to stare up at him in shock.

"But, Andros, we're too young to be parents," she whispered. "We're way too young to be having a baby, but we are, and - "

"And this isn't your fault," Andros interrupted her, his tone too firm for her to argue. "Why would it be?"

"I could have taken the pill or something," she muttered. "I should have. But I didn't."

"The pill?" he repeated, frowning. His fingers lightly stroked her cheek, wiping away some of the tears that had dampened her face.

"If I'd taken it, I wouldn't be pregnant now," she explained, biting down hard on her lower lip. "Why was I so stupid?"

"Ash, you're not stupid," he said firmly, his voice shadowed by guilt.

"I'm not smart."

"Ashley..." Andros stared at her helplessly, all the words he wanted to say to her refusing to come, forcing him to settle for repeating, "It's not your fault."

"It has to be," she mumbled. "It's not yours."

"Can it be nobody's fault?" he asked gently, nearly overwhelmed by the pangs of guilt that accompanied her last statement. While it made sense logically that it wasn't entirely his fault, he wondered if he'd done something that had made Ashley feel that she couldn't take the pill she'd mentioned a moment before.

He touched her hair with a quiet sigh. It was to late for that... and in seven and a half months, he was going to be a father.

Ashley hesitated, daring to glance up at him again. He was still sitting beside her, one of his hands toying with her hair as she lay curled up against his side. He was almost staring down at her, but not quite, and she had to strain for a good look into his eyes.

The guilt she would have been surprised not to see. She'd tried so hard to lay the blame on herself, knowing that Andros already believed he was personally responsible for all the hardships the ones he loved would ever have to go through.

It was what she spotted beneath the guilt that took her completely aback.

Fear.

Andros was afraid. Not that Ashley could blame him; she was absolutely terrified, but the expression on his face she'd seen once, maybe twice, but no more than that in all the time she'd fought by his side. Oddly enough, she found this revelation comforting somehow.

"Yes," she whispered. "It can be nobody's fault."

"Good," Andros said softly, his hand searching for hers. His fingers squeezed hers gently as his thumb ran across the back of her knuckles, tracing an unseen pattern across her skin.

Ashley relaxed as he lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms, slowly beginning to realize that he wasn't going to leave her. Now curled up against his chest, she slipped her arms around his waist, calming even further as he stroked her hair. Ashley let herself concentrate only on the slow, steady motion of his fingers for a long time, not attempting to put her thoughts together until her nerves were steady.

"Andros," she whispered. "Do you want the baby?"

He hesitated, briefly but visibly. "Do you?"

Ashley swallowed audibly. "I can't kill my own child," she told him firmly. "I just can't."

"I'd never want you to," Andros said quietly, not at all surprised. From Ashley, he wouldn't have expected anything else. "What about after, once's the baby's born?"

Ashley sighed, but had her answer ready, having thought about it for the majority of the afternoon. "Andros, even if we didn't plan this, we still made this baby together, and that means we should be the ones responsible for it..."

"You want to keep the baby, then," Andros said, strangely calm.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Do you?"

"Yes," he said slowly. "I just... I don't think I can be a good father."

"And why not?" Ashley demanded.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," he muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "I don't know anything."

"And you think I do?" Ashley's tone softened considerably as she took a long look at his face. "What's really wrong?"

He looked away, still surprised at how easily she could read him. "I... I'm scared," he admitted, his eyes flicking back to her involuntarily.

The look in Ashley's eyes told him quite clearly that she already knew that... and she knew how much of a struggle it had been for him to make the admission. When she hugged him a little closer, he nearly clung to her even as his conscience screamed for him to put as much distance between them as he could, already knowing that he was going to make a mess of this.

"What are you scared of?" Ashley asked gently, feeling him stiffen.

Andros swallowed, but he had to tell her. He couldn't just **not** tell her, not if she was going to trust him with the life of a child.

"That I'm not strong enough..." He had to swallow hard to get the words out. "To not be like my father was."

"Andros..."

Ashley sighed, remembering all too well the stories Andros had told her of his father, verbally abusive at the best of times, physically abusive when he was drunk, to his wife as well as his son. While Ashley knew that there was a very real chance Andros could turn into that man, her heart refused to believe it.

"You are strong enough," she said finally. "Just make sure you stay that way."

"Ash?"

"Andros, this isn't going to be easy," Ashley said. "There are going to be times when you'll want nothing more than to strangle the baby... but I know that you won't, and that makes you different than your father was."

Andros nodded uncertainly. "I can't see myself hurting my own child," he told her quietly. "But somehow, I don't think my father did, either."

"You are not your father," she said firmly. "You were a ranger, Andros. You know right from wrong."

He nodded again, giving her a slow, hesitant smile. "So... you think I can do this?"

"It's not going to be easy," Ashley said again, her fingers stroking his cheek. "But... we can do this, Andros, as long as we both work at it."

"There's nothing I'd like more," Andros confessed almost shyly, as if embarrassed to admit how much he wanted a child. "I love you, Ash."

"I love you too, Andros," she murmured, snuggling closer to him, flooded with a strange sense of peace as he held her close. With a smile, she nuzzled her face into his chest, knowing with absolute certainty that no matter what doubts he may have had, Andros would never lay a hand on either her or their child that wasn't in love.

"Ashley?"

The slight tremor in Andros's voice caused her to draw back instantly. She stared into his eyes curiously as he shifted, sitting up and motioning for her to do the same. Slipping on of his hands into hers, Andros's fingers clamped down hard on her own as his other hand disappeared into his pocket, clenched into a fist when it appeared again.

"I've wanted to do this for awhile now," he admitted, his gaze fixed steadily on their clasped hands, knowing that his courage would vanish the moment he looked into her eyes. Slowly, he relaxed the fingers of his other hand.

Ashley's head snapped up when she saw the ruby and topaz ring he held up for her to see, her eyes wide and round as they fixed themselves on his. "Andros..."

"Marry me?" he whispered, his hands shaking nearly uncontrollably. "Please?"

As her eyes flooded with tears for the hundredth time that day, Ashley threw her arms around his neck. That close to him, she could feel the rest of his body trembling as well, his breathing shaky gulps of air. As she clung to him, she felt his body relaxing against hers, and smiled, her voice returning to her.

"Yes," she breathed, nuzzling her face into his neck, wanting the warmth of his body this close always. "I'll marry you, Andros."


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Do you really think I own anything? Come on, now...

_**Mz. Daydream:** I think I answered that question already..._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Isn't Andros so cute:D Here's more._

_**GreenDayfan1:** Yeah, she's pregnant. And getting married... hee hee... Yay, no mistakes!_

_**Just Jill:** Yup, they're getting married. _

_**Jenny:** Actually, the only other time I've used "Marry me" instead of "Will you marry me?" was in Mirror, Mirror Part 2 when Ashley tells Andros she's pregnant and she doesn't know whose baby it is. I like chocolate chip cookies. And if we use Marieke and my Christmas special, then you don't have an excuse for not having it ready by next year:D_

**Chapter 7**

"What am I doing?" Ashley wailed aloud, her mind trapped in a spinning daze of emotions as she paced back and forth, each movement accompanied by the soft swish of the skirt of her wedding dress.

"Getting married?" Cassie suggested with a grin.

"That's not funny!" Ashley snapped, her nerves already frayed. "I can't do this!"

"And why not?" Cassie demanded, hands on her hips. "You want to, don't you?"

"Y-yes," Ashley said, unable to mask the tremor in her voice. "I think so..."

"You **think** so?" Cassie repeated, her light tone leaving her. "Ashley, please tell me this is just nerves."

"I hope so," Ashley said softly, sinking down onto the only couch in the small room. "But I..."

"You what?" Cassie prodded gently, joining her on the couch. "Ash, what's going on?"

"I'm scared," she whispered, hugging her arms to herself. "Cass, I don't know what I'm doing."

"Okay." Cassie sighed. "You love Andros. Andros loves you. You know that much, right?"

"Of course I do," Ashley exclaimed, shooting a slightly insulted look at Cassie. "That's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

"I just can't help feeling that this is... I don't know," Ashley cried. "Cassie, it's been fourteen months since he asked me on our first date."

"So you think it's too soon?"

Ashley nodded.

Cassie sighed. "Okay... Ash, do you think marrying Andros is going to be a mistake?"

"No," she answered instantly.

"So you don't think you're making a mistake?"

"No."

"Then why don't you want to marry him?"

"I didn't say that." Ashley bit her lip. "I do want to marry him."

"Just maybe not today?"

Ashley nodded slowly, tears slowly welling up in her brown eyes. "I..."

"If that's how you feel, you need to tell him that," Cassie said gently. "He'll understand."

"I know he would," she whispered, wiping her eyes with the tissues Cassie pressed into her hand. "But... I can't."

"Ashley, you have to," Cassie said, alarmed. "You can't marry him if you feel this way."

"I can't tell him," Ashley insisted. "Because he'll understand."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Ashley shook her head. "He'll tell me that it's all right, Cass, and then he'll look down with that sad look of his on his face. I don't want him to look like that anymore. I can't hurt him, Cassie, I just can't."

"Ash, this is just my opinion, but marrying him because you don't want to hurt him isn't a good enough reason."

"It's not the only reason," Ashley said weakly.

"What are some others?" Cassie asked. "Not because you don't want to hurt him, not because you're pregnant. Why do you want to marry him?"

"I love him," Ashley whispered. "Isn't that enough?"

"You tell me, Ash," Cassie said gently.

"I... " Ashley swallowed hard, and nodded. "It is. I love him, Cassie, and if I woke up one day and he wasn't there, I wouldn't be able to keep living."

"Are you sure about that?"

Ashley nodded her head firmly. "It's the only thing that I **am **sure of."

"So you love him and you can't live without him," Cassie said, half to herself. "But you think you're marrying him too soon."

"Yeah," Ashley said uncertainly. "No..."

"Ash, this is a yes or no question," Cassie said, a trace of an amused smile on her face. "It can't be both."

"Do you think it's too soon?"

"I'm not the one getting married," Cassie reminded her. "It doesn't matter what I think. What matters is what **you** think."

"I..." Ashley hesitated. "It doesn't feel like it's too soon, but then when I think about it, we haven't even known each other for a year and a half..."

Cassie sighed before saying slowly, "Ash, you've always followed your heart, no matter what anyone else thought. What's your heart telling you now?"

"That we'll be okay," Ashley whispered. "I know it can't be that simple, but it just feels like if we're together, everything will be all right. Always."

"And your head? What's that telling you?"

To her surprise, Ashley actually laughed. "Cass, my head is still trying to tell me that falling for Andros is going to hurt me. I don't think my head's going to be of much help right now."

Cassie laughed as well, but eyed her best friend warily. "Ash, you're gonna have to make a decision in about ten minutes."

"I'm getting married today," Ashley said decisively, resting one hand gently upon the growing bump on her stomach. "I love Andros more than anything, and we'll be fine. We'll be fine, and in a few months, we'll have a little baby together."

"And all those doubts of yours?" Cassie challenged. "What about them?"

"Just nerves," Ashley told her firmly. "That's all. You can't blame me for being nervous, Cass."

Cassie sighed and shook her head, smiling ruefully. It wasn't her place to talk Ashley either into or out of marriage, and even if it was, there was nothing she could do to change Ashley's mind once it had been made up.

"You sure?"

"I'm positive," Ashley said, a slow, shaky smile spreading itself across her face. "It's almost impossible to believe, but Andros is the most perfect guy for marriage."

Cassie's laugh was genuine this time. "It is hard to believe," she admitted. "I mean, when he abandoned us on that planet, did it ever occur to you that you'd be marrying him sixteen months later?"

"Of course not," Ashley answered immediately, the dreamy grin on her face making Cassie wonder. "But he's not that person anymore."

"He's got you to thank for that," Cassie said. "Has he?"

"No," Ashley said slowly, thoughtfully. "He doesn't need to. Andros and I know what we mean to each other, even if there's a lot we've left unsaid."

"Unsaid for a few more minutes, anyway," Cassie said wyly, glancing at the clock. "You still getting married?"

Ashley nodded her head up and down, giving her best friend a shaky smile. "Yeah," she said, swallowing hard. "I'm getting married."

"Then let's go," Cassie said, gently grasping her by the arm and leading her out the door. Karone ran up to them just as they stepped out of the door, nearly flattening them.

"Everyone's ready," she said, panting slightly. "Carlos is waiting for us at the end of the hall."

Ashley smiled, grateful for her friends. Already closer than family, that's what they had truly become, and now, they were all with her on her wedding day. Carlos flashed her a bright smile as they approached him and linked his arm through hers as Cassie and Karone stepped in front of them.

Slowly, they made their way down the aisle, step by step working their way to the altar, where Andros stood, having trouble not to fidget. He froze once his eyes landed on Ashley. The smile he gave her was forced and small, but the light shining through his soft eyes as he caught her eye was all that Ashley needed for her lingering doubts to vanish into thin air. Reaching for his hand, she laced her fingers through his, ready to spend forever with him.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Blah, blah, blah, Power Rangers isn't mine... don't sue...

_**Juzblue:** Here ya go. :P_

_**Just Jill:** Nope, those doubts aren't a good thing... _

_**C.C.C:** I'd really like to say that they're not going to be hurt, but I don't like lying..._

_**Jenny:** You should make a new email address at that! I don't actually know what address that is, but you should anyway._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Well, I didn't update, and I'm not dead. Were the Megazords sleeping too:P_

**Author's Note:** I was bored. Normally, that means I put up another story, but this time, it means that I started an AA forum. The link is on my profile page. Whenever you've got time, check it out and feel free to post stuff, just please don't do anything dumb or illegal, m'kay? Thanks.

**Chapter 8**

"Oh, hey, Andros," Ashley murmured automatically as she heard the door open and then shut. Glaring down at the equations staring up at her off of the pages of her calculus book, she didn't glance up at her husband until the flash of red out of the corner of her eye told her he was kneeling in front of her.

"Hey, Ash," he said softly, peering up into her weary brown eyes in concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Ashley gave him a tired smile and slammed the book shut, the satisfying sound soothing her aggravated temper. "Just studying."

Andros narrowed his eyes at her skeptically, as if sensing that wasn't quite the whole truth, but he said nothing, and his face gradually relaxed into a half smile. Rising to sit beside her on the couch, he pulled her into his arms, frowning as he felt the tension of her body.

"You sure you're all right?" he asked gently, his fingers trailing up and down her spine.

"I'm fine," Ashley said firmly. "We start finals tomorrow, that's all."

"You'll do fine," Andros assured her, still rubbing her shoulders. He was finally feeling her muscles beginning to loosen up.

Ashley let all the air out of her lungs in a sigh. Slowly inhaling again, she glanced up at him with a tiny smile playing upon her lips. "Thanks."

"I mean it, Ash," he insisted, tilting his head against hers. "You're going to do fine."

"What am I doing in calculus, anyway?" she wondered aloud, staring down at the book in her hands. "I want to be a fashion designer, not a mathematician."

Andros laughed quietly, the sound slightly muffled as he buried his face in her hair. "I think your original reason in taking that class was to prove to your father and brother that you could do it."

"Yeah..." Ashley's voice slowly diminished in strength until it was gone and she was fighting back tears. Realizing his mistake, Andros tightened his arms around her waist, silently waiting until she'd regained her composure.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, not daring to move. "I didn't mean - "

"I know you didn't," she said softly, biting down hard on her lower lip. "I just... miss them."

"I know, Ash." Sighing quietly, Andros stroked her hair, slowly running his fingers through the silky strands as Ashley's shoulders began quivering.

"I'm all right," she muttered when he drew back to stare at her concern. Struggling not to cling to him, she insisted, "Really, I'm okay."

"No," he said quietly, drawing her back into his strong arms. "You're not... Just cry, Ashley."

Already tears had begun leaking out of her eyes, but at his words, they began to flow uncontrollably. Slipping her arms around his waist, Ashley clung to Andros as she buried her face in his chest, every hurt, every frustration, every pent-up emotion demanding release.

Wordlessly, Andros rocked her back and forth, his hands rubbing small, soothing circles across her back. Ashley gulped down air, struggling to bring herself back under control, but it proved completely impossible and instead, she crawled into Andros's lap, desperately seeking the comfort he offered without hesitation.

She wasn't crying about her family anymore, she wasn't crying about anything anymore, she was just crying, and she knew that he knew it too. Ashley had no idea how much time passed with him just holding her as she cried into him, but after awhile, she was aware of Andros shifting, stretching his legs out before he settled back into the couch. He didn't complain as she sank even deeper into his embrace, only cradling her close to him as her tears gradually slowed.

"Thank you," she whispered, finally raising her head off of his chest. Andros watched her for a moment, staring sadly into her teary eyes before pulling her back into his arms. One hand slipped underneath the sweatshirt she was wearing, and as his thumb began to rub soft circles across her swollen abdomen, he felt her finally beginning to relax.

"It's all right, Ash," he murmured as she began to calm down. "It's all right."

"I'm sorry," she muttered, rubbing at her eyes with the hem of her sweatshirt. "I don't know... it's just horomones, I guess."

Andros frowned, knowing that her answer wasn't the whole truth. He glanced down at the thick textbook that had slipped from Ashley's hands to the ground as she'd cried, biting his lip as he stared at the three others piled unsteadily one atop the other.

"Ash," he said slowly. "When was the last time you took a break?"

"I can't take a break," Ashley said almost frantically. "Andros, I need to know all this. I don't have time to take a break."

"You need to," he said firmly, pressing a kiss to the top of her hair. "You're being too hard on yourself."

"But I - "

"Ash, when was the last time you slept?"

"A few days ago," she admitted, quickly continuing with, "But I need - "

"You need sleep," he told her firmly. "What about food? When was the last time you ate?"

"This morning," she muttered. "I wasn't hungry at lunch."

Andros sighed. "Ashley..."

"Andros, I'm fine," she snapped. "Don't look at me like that."

"Ash, you're exhausted," he said softly, watching her irritated expression worriedly. "It's not good for either you or the baby."

"I know," Ashley relented, conflicting emotions flitting across her face. "But, Andros, I can't just not study..."

"Ash, are you even remembering anything anymore?" he asked knowingly, not surprised to see her face turn away from his. "So you're stressing yourself for nothing."

Ashley sighed, chewing her lower lip anxiously. "I'll be fine," she insisted weakly. "It's only a few more days, and then I've got a whole month..."

Andros eyed her skeptically, but in the end chose not to comment. "At least eat something," he pleaded. "You can't starve yourself for the next week and be fine."

Ashley scrunched up her nose at him, but nodded a moment later. "Fine."

"I'm going to go make you some dinner, all right?" Andros said, slowly easing her out of his lap.

"Thanks," she muttered, her hands already reaching for one of the books piled on the floor.

Andros sighed as she buried herself in another textbook, but said nothing and silently made his way into the kitchen. Now he understood exactly how frustrated Ashley had been all those times she'd had to literally drag him away from his work.

**---**

Ashley was completely lost to the world when Andros tugged the book from her grasp, ignoring her look of indignation. Her half-hearted glare melted away into something softer as he handed her a sandwhich.

"Eat," he ordered her, settling down alongside her on the couch with his own plate.

"Thanks," she said quietly, picking at her food as her conscience got the better of her. "I'm sorry... for snapping at you before," she added at the confusion she saw spring into his face.

"Oh," he said, not quite meeting her eye. "It's all right, Ash."

"No, it's not," she insisted, struck with the urge to cry another time. "Don't say it is."

"Ash..." Andros sighed and swallowed the last of his sandwhich. "Really, it's all right. Just forget about it."

"But Andros, I... "

Ashley let her voice trail away. She doubted she was going to be able to make him see her point, and trying would only cause problems, as her temper wasn't yet fully under control.

"I love you," she murmured instead. Setting her plate aside, she edged closer to him, slipping her arms around his waist once she was close enough. Andros wasted no time in pulling her close, and as his arms wrapped around her, Ashley had to wonder what was so important about college after all.

"I love you too, Ash," he told her, letting the sweet scents of her shampoo and perfume overwhelm him. "Always."

"Always," Ashley echoed, hugging him closer. With a quiet sigh of contentment, she rested her head on his chest. Gradually, she became aware that her eyes had slipped shut despite her best efforts to keep them open.

"You need sleep," Andros told her firmly, slipping one arm beneath her knees. Carefully working his way to his feet, he carried her into their bedroom, setting down gently in the bed.

Already half asleep, Ashley was dimly aware of the fact that Andros was undressing her enough to let her sleep in comfort. She thought she could feel him settling the covers over her, but the only thing she was certain of was that he crawled into bed beside her and pulled her into his arms, although he couldn't possibly be tired himself. Although her mind was insisting that she struggle out of bed and continue where she'd left off, her exhaustion won out. With a tired sigh, she burrowed herself even deeper into Andros's arms, Ashley was soon fast asleep.


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, never will be.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Here ya go... but it stops being cute right about now. :P_

_**Jessica01:** Let's see if you're right..._

_**Just Jill:** This chapter should give it away._

_**Jenny:** Yeah, they're married. Chapter 7 was about ten minutes before the wedding and Chapter 8 was about a month later..._

_**Melissa:** Your spelling got better, mine got worse. :P It's better than swapping allergies with your friends, though... Ashley wasn't crying about anything really, she was just crying. Of course Andros really cares! _

**Chapter 9**

"Ash! Hey, Ash!"

The enclosed corridor echoed loudly, but the shout had its desired effect. Ashley stopped and glanced over her shoulder, letting her friend catch up to her.

"Oh, hey, Carlos," she said. She offered the former black ranger a tired smile. "What's going on?"

"Apparently, TJ and Cassie want to celebrate," he said with a grin. "Seeing how we all survived our first semester of college and all. Wanna come?"

Ashley hesitated. "Where?"

"Cassie's."

"Sure," Ashley said. "I'll stay for as long as I can."

"You busy?"

"No." Ashley shook her head with a sigh. "Just a little tired."

"You know, you can go home if you want," Carlos said, taking a good look at his friend for the first time in weeks. "We'll all see each other in a few days, anyway."

"No," Ashley said firmly. "I want to go... and Andros could probably use a break from me."

"Ash?" Carlos had been inclined to take the statement as a joke, but the sudden dejection that sprang into his friend's face made him wonder.

She bit her lip. "It's nothing."

"It doesn't sound like nothing," Carlos said quietly. "Is something wrong?"

"No."

"Ash."

"Nothing's wrong, Carlos," Ashley insisted.

Carlos sighed. "Ash, if you don't want to talk to me - "

"There's nothing to talk about," Ashley said irritably.

"Then you can always talk to Cassie," he finished, unfazed.

Ashley sighed. "Carlos, there's nothing wrong..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said firmly.

"So you're looking depressed for no reason at all?"

"I look depressed?" Ashley quickly forced a smile.

"Ashley, I've known you for ten years," Carlos reminded her. "Who do you think you're fooling?"

Ashley made a face at him. "Trying to fool," she said ruefully. "It's nothing, really. Nothing to worry about, anyway."

"Ash..."

"You really want to know?" she said finally.

"Yeah."

"It's Andros," she burst out, realizing for the first time how desperate she was just to vent to someone.

"What about him?"

"I'm horrible to him," she admitted, sinking down onto one of the wooden benches that lined the corridor. "I don't mean to be, but he's just** there**, and it's so easy just to snap at him over nothing... or worse, for caring about me. He'll ask me if I'm all right, or if the baby's fine, and then I'll just... A few days ago, I couldn't stop crying, and he just held me, and then I yelled at him that I was fine and told him not to stare at me like I wasn't."

"Ash, you can't be the first pregnant woman to have mood swings," Carlos pointed out. "What does Andros do?"

"Nothing," she cried. "That's the worst part. He'll just kind of duck his head down and not look at me for a long time, but he'll never snap back. He won't say anything at all, and then, if I even feel bad enough to want to apologize, he won't let me. He says that it's all right, and he understands, but he can't possibly, he just doesn't want to fight..."

Ashley sighed and shook her head. There were no doubts in her mind that she owed Andros an apology or ten. How he could be as incredibly and impossibly patient as he was Ashley had no idea, but somehow, Andros had never lost his temper with her, never even snapped back. His calmness only served to make her feel worse; no matter how tired and irritable she was, Andros deserved better than for her to use him to vent out her anger. Deciding then and there that she was going to reign in her temper, Ashley sighed, realizing that no matter how much Andros loved her, she could only push him so far before he wouldn't be able to stand anymore. She suspected that she could push him so much farther than she had, but she'd rather not find out the hard way.

"Maybe he really does understand," Carlos suggested.

Ashley arched an eyebrow at him. "If some girl was screaming at you for no reason, would you **really** understand that?"

"Well... I don't know," Carlos admitted. "Probably not. But, Ash, when it comes to you, I think Andros could take anything and still love you."

"Yeah..."

"I love you," Andros had told her that morning as he'd woken up beside her, his eyes wide with adoration. Ashley squirmed guiltily, wondering just what she'd ever done to deserve his love. Sighing ruefully, she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself until she'd apologized to him. She also knew that Andros would insist that it was all right, that she hadn't hurt him.

"I hate doing this to him," she said softly, toying idly with the ends of her hair. "But... sometimes, I just wish he'd let me fight him."

"You **want **him to scream back?"

"Well... no, not really." Ashley shot him a clear look of frustration. "I just... I'm annoying myself is what it is, and then I take it all out on Andros... If he'd just snap back once, I wouldn't feel so horrible. I wouldn't feel like I was using him somehow..."

"Wow." Carlos exhaled slowly, not sure how he was supposed to take all this in. "I'm not good at this kind of stuff, but the simple thing seems to be to talk to Andros."

"Yeah, but..." Ashley sighed. "I'd be telling him to stop being perfect."

"Again, you should talk to Andros."

Ashley made a face at him. "You think I don't know that?"

"You're talking like you don't," Carlos pointed out.

"I don't want to hurt him," she muttered, concentrating hard on the floor. "Carlos, I love him so much."

"I know you do," he assured her, startled that the words came out so easily. While he'd accepted that his relationship with Ashley was never going to work out the way he wanted it to, that had done absolutely nothing to keep his jealously at bay. He thought he'd kept it well hidden, but now he realized that somewhere it had disappeared.

"That's why you should talk to him," he added.

"Yeah..." Ashley sighed, her lips quirking into a tiny smile. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Ash," he said, suddenly remembering their original conversation. "So are you coming to Cassie's?"

"Yeah." Ashley stood and stretched, resting one hand briefly on her stomach. "I think I need to get my mind off things..."

"Need a ride?"

"Nah," Ashley said, glancing across the parking lot. "Coming back here on my first day of vacation to pick up the car doesn't sound so good."

Carlos laughed. "I'll see you there, then."

**---**

Ashley could feel herself finally beginning to relax as she slipped behind the wheel of her car. She was out of school for a month, and the vacation couldn't have come sooner. Her short temper and constant irritability were becoming annoying even to her, and she had a strong suspicion that sleep - **real** sleep - would take care of that in a matter of hours.

The car rumbled to life. Ashley started off slowly, wondering if she shouldn't have taken Carlos up on that ride after all. Her eyes wanted nothing more than to close for a long, long time, and on top of that, most muscles in her body were stiff and sore.

"You better be worth it," she murmured, resting one hand lightly over the bump on her stomach. "You better be perfect."

Arching her back, Ashley stretched, feeling much more comfortable than she had previously when she settled back into the seat. She brushed one hand over her abdomen again, laughing softly to herself. She knew that no matter what anyone else thought, her baby was going to be perfect.

Giving up an attempt to conjure up a mental picture of her baby, Ashley put the car into motion, grinning to herself. Finally, she could relax and just concentrate on herself. On the little baby she'd be holding in her arms in a little less than six months. On Andros...

The sudden screech of brakes snapped Ashley out of her thoughts. Her heart leapt into her throat as she saw the car skidding towards her, swerving frantically through the crowded intersection. It was too late to slam on her brakes and Ashley twisted the wheel sharply, desperately trying to avoid the collision. She lost control and the car spun wildly. Ashley had just enough time to wonder if she was going to die before her world went black.


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** Not mine... not mine... still not mine...

**_Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:_** Here ya go. :P

**Jenny:** Actually... it gets worse...

**Just Jill:** I was getting bored with writing jealous Carlos. Andros and Ashley will eventually have that talk, just not quite how they planned.

**Jeanka:** More tragedy comes next.

**Mel:** Pretty soon, Ashley won't feel bad for yelling at Andros... :P

**flowerweasly16:** No amnesia in this story, sorry. Next time... :P I can understand you fine, don't worry. Glad to have found another PRIS fan. 

**Chapter 10**

"Oh my god..."

Cassie Chan stopped cold in the doorway, eyes wide with horror at the sight that met her. Face marred by many cuts and lacerations, Ashley looked more dead than alive. As she was completely devoured by machinery, Cassie was having trouble to believe that Ashley was in fact still alive.

"They say she might not wake up."

Andros's eyes flicked up to meet hers for a split second before he stared down at Ashley's motionless body once again. Both his hands clutched one of Ashley's, his fingers gently caressing her skin, as if hoping his touch alone could bring her back to the world of the living.

"She will," Cassie whispered fiercely, refusing to believe that her best friend was going to die. Sinking down into the chair alongside Andros's, she slipped both her arms round him. She felt his body trembling with all the emotions coursing through him and hugged him closer. "How can she not, when you're here waiting for you?"

"Please don't say that," he whispered. "Because... b-because if she doesn't... wake up..."

Cassie understood then, and sighed heavily. Tears leaking out of her eyes, she clung to Andros as he clung to her. His eyes were strangely dry for a man who loved his wife as much as Cassie knew Andros loved Ashley, but it wouldn't have surprised her if he was merely too stunned to let reality sink in.

"It'll be all right," she said firmly, her voice wavering as she glanced at Ashley's still form.

"I can't live without her," Andros mumbled. With a tenderness he surely hadn't possessed before Ashley Hammond had burst into his life, he carefully smoothed stray wisps of hair out of his wife's closed eyes. "I just can't."

"I know," Cassie whispered, rubbing his back soothingly. "And so does Ashley."

"Y-You really think... that she'll... that she'll..."

"Wake up?" Cassie finished for him. His head bobbed up and down just the tiniest bit and she sighed. "We have to believe that she will, Andros. We can't give up on her."

"But it's so hard..." he whispered. "To hope... without her here..."

"I know," she whispered. "I know."

"Hey," a familiar voice said softly. "Can we come in?"

"Sure." Cassie spoke for Andros, who was too lost staring mournfully at Ashley to notice his best friend and sister hovering near the doorway.

"TJ and Carlos are on their way," Zhane said quietly, resting his hand briefly on Andros's shoulder. Andros looked up then, but said nothing, lowering his eyes only seconds later. "She'll be all right, man."

"He's right, Andros," Karone said. She took a seat on his other side, and wrapped him in her arms as well as Cassie's. "Ashley will be fine."

"Wake up," Andros begged Ashley's still form softly, oblivious to his sister's words. "Please, Ash, just open your eyes."

He couldn't ever recall being so completely, utterly helpless. As red ranger, he'd been in charge, always in control of any given situation. There was always something that he could do, but not so here. There was nothing to be done but to sit numbly at Ashley's bedside, his eyes glued to the slight rising and falling of her chest, the only evidence he had that she was still breathing, still alive.

"Her body needs this now," Cassie said gently. "When she's strong enough, she'll wake up."

"Cassie's right," Zhane was quick to agree. "She'll be back before you know it."

"Ashley," Andros whispered, oblivious to their words. "I - I need you. Don't leave me, please."

**---**

Karone watched her sister-in-law sadly, occasionally laying a hand on her wrist, just needing to feel the pulse there. Weak as it was, it was reassuring to know that it was there at all.

Andros hadn't moved an inch from her side, and was now slumped over in his seat, dozing uneasily. He'd fought off sleep for as long as he could, but his exhaustion had finally won him over. Even as he slept, one of his hands still held Ashley's.

Karone started as the silence was broken by a single continuous drone. Andros jerked awake, his hazel eyes wild and scared.

"Karone?" he mumbled. "W-What's happening? Is she - "

The truth hit him hard, and he choked, frozen into place. Doctor after doctor rushed into the room, barking orders after each other, but still Andros didn't, couldn't move. Too frightened to even make a sound in protest when Karone gently pried his hand off of Ashley's, he allowed his sister to pull him to the side, letting the doctors do their work.

"It'll be all right," Karone whispered, more out of habit than conviction. Her brother made no move to show that he'd even heard her words in the first place. His eyes were glued to the bed where his wife lay, her heart still refusing to beat.

Dimly, Andros could feel Karone's arm around him, holding him to her just as much as she was holding him back from Ashley. He knew that she was whispering to him, but her words were lost as all he could hear was a hollow rush of air and the pounding of his own heart.

His mind ordered him to do something - anything - but there was nothing, absolutely nothing to be done. All he could do was stand back helplessly as half a dozen strangers battled to force some life back into his wife.

_Ashley's dying..._

No...

Ashley's dead.

Whatever it was that had kept him immobile snapped then. Andros began struggling against Karone's arms so suddenly that he nearly yanked himself free, but she pulled him back, refusing to let him go. He heaved against her hold, his mind screaming at him to get to Ashley. No matter what else happened, he just had to get to her. He couldn't just leave her now.

"Andros, stop!"

Karone was shouting at him, and though he was hearing her words, he had no idea what they meant. He didn't care what they meant. He didn't have time for that now, not when Ashley...

He stopped fighting abruptly, nearly collapsing into Karone as Ashley's heartbeat sounded once again. It was erratic and unsteady, but it was there. That's what mattered. It was there. Her heart was beating. She was breathing. Ashley wasn't dead.

"Shh," Karone whispered, tears staining her own cheeks as Andros finally gave in to emotion. He clung to her, sobbing weakly, gasping for air as tears cascaded down his face.

"Ashley," he choked out, burying his face in Karone's hair.

"She's going to be all right," she told him firmly. "You'll see."

Andros nodded his head weakly. Karone held him tight, not releasing him until there was a pair of doctors standing directly in front of them.

"Are you her husband?"

Throat too tight to speak, Andros could only nod. Karone asked what he could not. "Will she be all right?"

"It's difficult to say," one of the doctors told him after a long pause and an uneasy glance at her partner. "To be honest with you, it's practically a miracle she's still with us."

"Will she wake up?" Andros managed to ask, the words raspy and his voice trembling.

The second doctor sighed. "With the strain her pregnancy is putting on her body, it's unlikely."

Andros swallowed, too dazed to see where the doctors were headed but alert enough to know that he didn't want to see. "What?"

"Sir, you've got a difficult decision to make."


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

_**Jeanka:** I'd never kill her and leave her dead. I just needed to scare Andros._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Yup. :P_

_**Chylea3784:** Something like that._

_**C.C.C:** Of course he chooses Ashley! And I would never kill her and leave her dead._

_**Just Jill:** Nope, not fair at all. Poor Andros... :evil grin:_

_**Jenny:** Actually, I don't think Ash was far enough along for the baby to survive on it's own. Yes, I remember updating three times a day with Follow the Stars, but I've figured out that keeping you in suspense is more fun. :P But here's more. _

_**flowerweasly16:** Don't worry, she wakes up. But that's not the problem..._

_**DizneeDol:** Yeah. Poor Andros... :P_

_**Mz. Daydream:** Yeah, this is the not so happy part. :P_

_**Mel:** Ashley's only three months pregnant. I don't think the baby can survive without her. Andros would never pull the plug on her, even if it was best for Ashley, I think he's too afraid to do that. Ashley doesn't go mental, sorry, but someone should write a story where she does. :P_

**Chapter 11**

"Ashley," Andros whispered, his hands trembling as Ashley twitched, the first sign of life he'd seen from her in two weeks. "Ash, open your eyes, please, just wake up, Ashley, please."

When he felt Ashley's fingers twitch, it was all he could do to keep himself from bursting into tears. She was going to be all right. She was going to wake up. Andros swallowed hard and squeezed her hand, whispering to her gently as her eyelids fluttered.

"Ash?"

Her brown eyes were dazed and confused, but he knew that she knew him. Both weak with relief and sick with dread, he raised her hand to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. He even dared to hope that he'd felt her fingers tighten around his as he did so.

"Ash," he said softly, leaning down to whisper his words nearly in her ear. "I love you, so much."

As her senses began returning to her, Ashley watched in disbelief as tears began leaking out of Andros's eyes, splashing down onto the hand he was still holding to his lips.

"I love you too," she tried to tell him, tried to scream out at him, but her throat refused to work. She couldn't even force her lips to mouth the words at him, and was forced to settle for squeezing her fingers as hard as she could.

"Ashley, I... I need to tell you something," Andros mumbled, forgetting that she'd only opened her eyes five minutes before. She'd figure it out soon enough, and there was no point in postponing the inevitable. Besides that, he'd rather tell her himself than have her hear it from a doctor.

There was so much pain in his eyes. Ashley could see it all so clearly, and it frightened her. Andros didn't look like that anymore. He didn't walk around looking as though he'd been torn apart inside. He hadn't looked that way for months, nearly a year now, but he looked like that now, and it scared her.

"What happened?" Again, her throat refused to work properly and what emerged from her mouth was a dry, hoarse whimper. Her throat ached and she regretted even attempting to speak. Automatically, she swallowed. Her mouth was dry as well and she whimpered again, this time from pain just as much as a failed try at speech.

"Shh," Andros whispered, coming to his senses and realizing that what he needed to tell her, urgent as it was, could wait. It had to wait, at least until Ashley was slightly more stable. "Don't talk, Ash. You'll get some water in a minute."

She nodded her head weakly, moaning as her head began pounding mercilessly after the small motion. Andros stroked her cheek, his touch every bit as soothing and gentle as it had always been. He didn't leave her side when the doctors came in, and held her hand still in his. His voice whispered to her that she'd be all right, but still all the pain and sadness refused to leave his eyes. And that scared her.

**---**

"Andros," Ashley gasped hoarsely. Her throat still ached horribly, but she'd downed enough water that the pain was bearable. "Andros, what happened?"

"You were on your way to Cassie's," he told her, squeezing her fingers gently. He was seated beside her on the bed now, hardly daring to move for fear of jostling her undoubtedly sore body. "Do you... do you remember?"

Closing her eyes, Ashley thought hard. She frowned and concentrated harder, but came up with nothing.

She shook her head. "No.."

"You don't?"

She shook her head again. "What happened?"

"You were on your way to Cassie's," Andros repeated. "Carlos was about three cars behind you... He saw the crash. There was a woman going towards you. She was drunk."

He stopped and swallowed hard, his voice trembling with pain and rage as he went on. "It's not fair, Ash. She killed five people. She almost killed you. There's still four people out there somewhere who haven't woken up yet. She hurt so many people, and she wasn't even hurt. Not at all. It's not fair..."

"Andros, it's all right now, isn't it?" she nearly whimpered, her voice breaking as tears trickled silently down his face. "Andros, what's wrong?"

"Ashley, I'm so sorry," he whispered, not bothering to wipe away his tears. Swallowing hard, he turned to face her. If there had been anything he could have done to avoid breaking her heart this way, he would have done it in an instant. But there was nothing.

"Ashley, you're going to be all right, but... but our baby..."

"Baby?" Ashley repeated blankly as Andros choked. Memory slammed into her hard as the word left her mouth and she froze, staring at Andros, her face white with fear.

"Ash, you... your heart stopped beating," Andros whispered, unable to tear his eyes off of hers even as he told her this. "They brought you back, but the doctors... they said that... that the baby was making it so that you weren't going to wake up..."

"But I did wake up," Ashley protested.

Before Andros could stop her, she'd laid one hand flat across her abdomen, searching for the familiar swell that was their growing little baby. When she couldn't find it, her heart began racing furiously in fear, and she pressed harder, desperate to find her child.

"Andros, where's the baby?"

"Ashley..." Andros stared at her, still crying, completely, utterly miserable, not knowing how to lessen the blow. "Ash, the baby's gone."

"Gone?" Ashley repeated weakly, pressing down even harder on her abdomen, just in case he was wrong. "The baby's gone?"

"I'm so sorry," he whispered through his tears, crying harder as comprehension dawned on Ashley.

"There's no more baby?" she whispered, her face crumpling.

"I'm sorry, Ash," he managed to choke out around the lump in his throat. "I'm so sorry. There's no more baby."

"No more baby," she whispered again, this time understanding. Reaching out for Andros, she buried her face in his chest as her tears began to fall. Sobs wracked her frail body as Andros held her, but Ashley couldn't feel his arms around her. She didn't hear him whispering to her, didn't see him crying harder than she was. Ashley's mind slowly became one giant, whirling blur, incapable of any thought, any feeling besides the overwhelming sensation of sadness, grief, devastation.


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** I know, poor them. :P It'll get better... sorta._

_**Mel:** I really don't think Andros is strong enough to choose the baby over Ashley, and he's gonna hate himself for it later. _

_**DizneeDol:** Yeah, it's sad. Here ya go._

_**flowerweasly16:** Things will get better, but not for awhile._

_**Jenny:** Choosing Ashley wasn't the hard part, letting someone take away the baby was, because he knew how she'd react._

_**Just Jill:** Yeah, it'll just get worse._

**Chapter 12**

Andros unlocked the door with a heavy sigh. Glancing over his shoulder to the driveway, he saw Ashley sitting still in the car, making no move even to undo the seat belt. Andros hesitated, his hand hovering near the doorknob, but in the end, he turned, slowly making his way back to the car.

"Ash?"

She made no reply, ignoring him completely as she stared ahead blankly, her eyes fixed on something outside of the front windsheild. Andros watched her for a moment before sliding back into the driver's seat.

"Ash?"

Still she refused to look at him. Andros reached out to her, cautiously laying his hand lightly on her arm. He felt her tense at his touch, but she did nothing else to indicate to him that she was even aware of his presence at her side. Finally realizing that Ashley wasn't going to move of her own accord, Andros leaned over her and hit the little red button that would release her seat belt.

When he opened the passenger door, Ashley allowed him to take her arm. She moved willingly enough as he guided her into the house, but once inside, she stood still, her eyes slightly glazed.

Andros watched her guiltily, lost as to what he should do. His own pain had quickly dulled to numbness, but Ashley couldn't bury her emotions the way he had. She was grieving, hurting badly, and he was helpless to comfort her.

"Come on, Ash," he said softly. Her head turned towards him then, and he saw her eyes for the first time in days. They were red-rimmed from countless tears, but strangely dry now, as though she'd cried out everything inside of her.

"Andros," she whispered suddenly. He slipped his arms around her without a word, simply holding her. Ashley clung to him, trembling, whispering, "Why?"

"I'm sorry," he said in her ear. One hand gently stroked her hair as he tried to think of a reason, any reason at all. "I'm so sorry, Ash. I just didn't want to lose you."

Ashley nodded her head into him, but he wasn't certain that she believed him, or had even heard him at all. Andros held her, rocking her as he blinked against the sudden pressure at the back of his eyes. The hurt he hadn't been feeling flared up again and he choked. He thought a few tears slid silently down his cheeks through his closed eyelids, but when he opened his eyes again, his face was dry.

"Ashley," he whispered, gently prying himself loose. She made a soft sound in protest as he pulled away, but didn't try to pull him back to her. Andros sighed silently as he took another look into her eyes.

"Ash, you're falling asleep," he said, tugging her jacket back from her shoulders. "You should rest."

"Yeah," she mumbled, staring down at her hands.

"Come on," Andros said quietly. Carefully, he lifted her up into his arms. Her body felt strangely limp against his and Andros sighed, able only to wish that one day soon he would find her smiling again. Her eyes closed as he carried her into their bedroom and he suspected she was asleep by the time he'd settled the blankets over her.

"I love you, Ash," he whispered down to her, as if those words alone would be enough to soothe her soul. "Always and forever."

Andros crouched down and placed a gentle kiss on Ashley's forehead. She didn't stir and with one last long look at her, Andros stood and turned slowly. He left the room, not knowing quite where he was going, but knowing somehow that he shouldn't stay.

**---**

When her eyes fluttered open again, Ashley groaned and rolled over, her head disappearing beneath her pillow. She tried desperately to escape back into sleep, to fall into the blissful numbness where there was no pain, no sorrow, no death. Every time her eyes slipped shut, she found them open again a moment later and herself staring up at the ceiling.

Reluctantly, she climbed out of bed. Tugging on the blanket to pull it loose from the mattress, Ashley wrapped it around her shoulders. It was warm enough, but she couldn't stop shivering.

"Andros?" she called softly. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed when he didn't answer. Chewing on her lower lip anxiously, Ashley wandered aimlessly through the house, inevitably ending up just outside the second bedroom.

They hadn't had time to buy any supplies for their baby, but she and Andros had been planning to turn the spare room into a nursery. Now Ashley was glad that they hadn't begun working on the nursery, it would have only made everything worse.

With a sigh, she opened the door slowly, just wanting to hide in the darkness. She froze in the doorway, her eyes landing on the figure huddled in the far corner.

"Andros?"

He jumped visibly, not having heard the door open. "Ash."

"Can I... can I come in?" she asked softly, feeling oddly out of place in her own home.

Andros looked at her in surprise. "Of course you can."

She kept near the doorway, as far away from Andros as she could. Ashley wasn't sure why, but somehow, she could bring herself to move closer to him. He glanced at her once before turning to stare out of the window.

"Are you all right?"

Ashley blinked at him. "No."

He nodded slowly, still facing away from her. "Ash, I'm sorry."

"I know you are," she said softly. "Andros..."

Not knowing what she was going to say, Ashley let her voice trail off into silence. Andros didn't say anything and the two of them were left alone in a heavy silence.

"Andros?" she asked suddenly. "Was the baby a boy or a girl?"

"It was a boy," Andros said after a pause, his voice very quiet.

"A boy?" Ashley repeated, tears stinging her eyes. "We were going to have a little boy?"

Andros nodded his head slowly. He wasn't looking at her, but Ashley didn't need to be told that he was fighting to keep his composure.

"Did they hurt him? When they... when..."

"It was fast," Andros said when she choked, unable to finish. "If he felt anything, it was only for a little bit."

"How... how did they do it?" she asked.

"Ash..." Andros hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Just tell me," she begged. "I need to know... They didn't puncture his skull, did they?"

Andros shook his head, looking horrified.

"Are you sure?" Ashley persisted. "Sometimes they do."

"They didn't do that," Andros said firmly.

"Then what did they do?" No matter how awful, Ashley needed to know, for her own peace of mind.

"The doctors told me they did it surgically," Andros said, still hesitant.

"Oh." Not sure whether to be horrified or relieved, Ashley lapsed into silence, only to speak up again a moment later. "You're sure it didn't hurt him?"

"No," Andros said reluctantly. "But Ash, it was fast, and if it did hurt him, he's not in pain anymore."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I... don't know," Andros admitted. He paused. "Do you?"

"I want to," she whispered. "But I don't know, either... What happened to him after?"

"What?" Andros looked at her then, startled.

"They don't... they didn't throw him away, did they?"

"No," Andros exclaimed. "I'm sure that's not what they do, Ash."

"You don't know?"

He shook his head, glancing at her uncertainly. "I... I didn't want to."

"Why not?" she asked, the words harsher than she'd intended. "He's your child!"

Ashley could tell Andros had trouble not to flinch at her words. "That's why," he said, very softly. He stood then, and crossed the room, hesitating as he reached her.

"I'm sorry, Ash," he whispered again, and left.


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Here's more, but you're gonna hate me... I swear, I didn't plan it!_

_**DizneeDol:** I know, it's sad. Here's more. Happy late New Year. :P_

_**Jessica01:** Yeah, they can, but first they have to work through all the emotional stuff._

_**Just Jill:** They will, eventually._

_**Jenny:** How come I'm so intent on torturing poor Ashley? 'Cause I needed a break from torturing Andros and someone (guess who :P) showed me how much fun it could be to torture Ashley? Don't worry, Somebody to Love will even it all out. :D_

_**Mz. Daydream:** You wanna cry? Read this first. :P_

_**Mel:** Yeah, it's sad, but I'm glad you love it anyway. You said David was a stalker name? Fine, then, we won't like David. :D_

_**flowerweasly16: **Yeah, they're both devastated. It'll get better, but not for a long time._

**Chapter 13**

"Morning," Andros said softly, pausing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Hi," Ashley said absently, glancing up at him for just a second before turning her attention back to her cereal. She felt rather than saw Andros watching her for a long moment, but Ashley kept her eyes down.

Andros hovered in the doorway for a moment longer before entering the kitchen. "You're up early."

"I wasn't tired," she said. "Besides, I need to go back to school today."

Andros wasn't fooled. "You can't sleep, can you?"

"No," she admitted, finally raising her eyes. "Can you?"

"Sometimes." The cabinets opened and shut several times before Andros said anymore. "But I keep remembering... and I... "

He turned suddenly, his eyes locking onto hers before Ashley could look away. "Ash, I don't know what to do," he whispered, his hazel eyes pleading with her brown ones. "I don't know how to make it stop hurting."

Ashley tore her gaze from his. "It's supposed to hurt."

"For how long?"

"I think it'll always hurt," Ashley said softly. "But some of the pain goes away once you've mourned."

Andros nodded slowly, watching her almost hopefully. "Ash, I... how?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she snapped finally. "You're the one who's lost people, Andros, not me!"

Andros froze, his face wiped blank of all emotion, his fingers gripping a bowl hard enough to turn white. Ashley groaned softly, realizing too late what she'd done to him. He stared at her dully as her words registered, and as they did, the vacant look was slowly replaced by one of deep hurt and... betrayal, Ashley realized, biting her lip.

"Oh god, Andros, I'm sorry," she cried, jumping up and moving to his side before she thought better of it. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..."

Cautiously, she laid one of her hands over his and felt him tense at her touch. The bowl slipped from his hands as he forced himself to relax and shattered on the kitchen floor. The sound startled him out of his daze, and Ashley found her eyes in his. He stared at her as if she was a stranger. Ashley wondered if she was becoming one.

"I'll clean it up," she said, not at all liking the direction her thoughts had taken.

"No." Andros's voice stopped her. "I'll do it. Go to class, Ash."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I dropped it. I'll clean it up."

Ashley could hardly blame him for wanting her to leave. "Bye, then."

"Bye." Andros hesitated. "Ashley... I love you."

"I..." Unable to stand the look of desperation on his face, Ashley turned, leaving as quickly as she could without actually fleeing.

**---**

She had a class in ten minutes, yet she found herself heading in the opposite direction of campus. Ashley wasn't sure exactly what she was running from or why, but she somehow knew that she wouldn't be able to face her friends. She couldn't deal with their questions, no matter how good the intentions behind them.

Ashley drove blindly through town, not knowing where she was going, but somehow knowing exactly where she should turn. As she made a left turn, she smiled for the first time in weeks, not feeling peaceful, but... free.

Here in the car, she was finally alone, finally able to think without having to watch the sadness on Andros's face growing deeper and deeper, without having to remind herself not to snap at everyone who asked her if she was all right, without having to pretend that she was all right.

She turned right once more and stopped abruptly, wondering how she'd ended up here, at the gates to the Angel Grove Cemetary. She sighed, glaring down at the steering wheel, as though the car itself had brought her here. She didn't want to be here, yet at the same time, it felt almost right.

With another sigh, Ashley hugged her coat closer to her body and climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She walked slowly towards the open gates almost as if in a trance, drawn there by some strange, mysterious power.

If nothing else, it was certainly peaceful, Ashley decided. Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Ashley began wandering through the perfect stillness. The vast lawns were cool and green, marked every few feet with gray slabs, each one bearing a name.

Ashley hesitated, wanting to wander among the graves, but unsure if she should. They weren't the graves of anyone she knew, after all, and she thought that they would rather rest without her disturbing them. Shaking her head to herself, Ashley turned back to the path and moved deeper into the cemetary, searching for the resting place of two people she did know.

"Hi, Grandma," she whispered, sinking to her knees before a headstone that marked two graves. "Hi, Grandpa."

She stopped for a moment, feeling silly talking to them when they had been gone for so long. A moment later, Ashley decided that she didn't care. Her fingers slowly tracing their names, Edith and Joseph, she opened her mouth and found that the words just poured out of her.

"I love you," she said sadly, though smiling fondly at the memory of her grandparents. "And I miss you, but I know that wherever you are, you guys are together.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come here," she said softly, wondering how long it had been since her father had been here. "I'll bring you some flowers, too. I still remember all those gardens you guys had. You loved the pink roses, Grandma, and the yellow ones were your favorite, Grandpa. You said they reminded you of me."

She smiled sadly, her fingertips pressing harder against the cold stone. "Next time I come, I'll bring Andros, too. You two aren't my parents, and I know you'd love him. He's so sweet and loving... and maybe... maybe it'd help him to come here. He's lost so many people and he doesn't know how to grieve for them. Our little boy died before he was even born. I was only three months pregnant when the accident happened, but he was still my little boy. "

Ashley bit her lip, but was unable to keep back the steady flow of tears. Bowing her head, she let them fall and continued to talk. She had trouble understanding her own words, but somehow knew that her grandparents heard every words she said as clearly as if she was standing next to them.

"I was supposed to protect him," she sobbed. "I was supposed to keep him safe until he was strong enough to be born, but I didnt. I didn't even want him at first. Andros and I, we didn't plan to have a baby so young, but then we were... I think Andros wanted the baby, but I didn't, not when I first found out. I was so scared... and then Andros and I got married, and everything was okay. I thought it'd always be okay. We had each other and then we'd have our baby and we'd make it work somehow. I wanted him then, but then there was the accident. Andros told me I died. They brought me back, but I still died. I wasn't strong enough to wake up. I couldn't protect him, and they had to take my baby away."

Ashley choked, staring down at her hands. "How did you do it?" she wondered, running the forefinger of her right hand across her wedding ring. "You were married for more than fifty years, and you still loved each other at the end. I've been married only three months, and I keep saying all these horrible things to Andros. I know I'm hurting him, but I can't help it and I don't care, because he let them take away our baby. I know he loves me and he did it to keep me alive, but whenever I look at him, it hurts so much."

She rubbed at her eyes, gulping down air as her body heaved with sobs. When her tears slowed, she stared at the headstone for a long time. "He's with you, isn't he?" she asked softly. "I know he is. You're taking care of him now. You're keeping him safe, aren't you? Will you tell him that I love him? That Andros loves him? Tell him we're so sorry it had to be this way and that we'll never forget him."

Ashley paused. "He doesn't even have a name... When I come with Andros, we'll choose a name for him."

A small smile appeared on her face. "If Andros likes it... I think I'll name him Joseph, after you, Grandpa. Joey."

Ashley sighed, finally feeling some peace flood her soul. It still hurt like nothing else, but it was a start, and she knew that someday it would get better, although she doubted that it would ever stop hurting entirely.

"Bye," she murmured, climbing to her feet. "I'll be back soon."

As she turned to go, Ashley jumped, her heart pounding with surprise. Standing only three feet behind her was a man in his early twenties. He had the decency to look guilty and shifted back, looking at her sheepishly.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said softly. "I know I shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but I just... I'm sorry."

"It's all right, I guess," Ashley said, a little unnerved. "I just didn't expect - "

"I know." He paused, eyeing her for a moment before saying, "Your son died?"

"Yeah," Ashley mumbled. "He wasn't even born."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Look, this will probably sound crazy, but would you like to come have some coffee with me or something? My brother drowned a few weeks ago, and I thought it might help if I just... talked to somebody, I guess."

"I... sure," she agreed after a moment's hesitation. "I'm Ashley."

"Ashley," he repeated, offering her his hand. "I'm David."

Ashley shook his hand, realizing that she didn't feel cold anymore.


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine.

_**Jessica01:** That's true. I don't think I ever saw that episode._

_**Just Jill:** It's bad, but not quite as bad as it could be._

_**DizneeDol:** Yeah, that's Tommy's brother's name, but I never saw the episode either. There's a lot of episodes I never saw, actually. :P Here's more._

_**Jenny:** Obviously, Ashley didn't make it to class that day. She's going to talk to Andros, don't worry, but David's going to hang around for awhile._

_**flowerweasly16:** Andros and Ashley really need each other right now, but they're having trouble supporting each other._

_**JakiBlue:** Thanks. I love messing with them so much..._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Thanks. You've been a bad influence on me. But I think the results have been pretty good. :P_

**Chapter 14**

"Andros?"

"I'm in here, Ash," she heard him call from the direction of the kitchen.

Ashley shut the door behind her with a sigh. Drawing in a deep breath to fortify herself, she rested her forehead lightly against the door, knowing what she needed to say to Andros. Exhaling slowly, she entered the kitchen, pausing just inside the doorway.

"Hey," she said softly, leaning uneasily against the doorjamb. "It smells good in here."

"I found it in the freezer." Andros shrugged, nodding at the frozen lasagna box protruding from the trash can. "I was hungry."

Ashley smiled slightly. "You were tired of eating breakfast foods for dinner, you mean."

"Yeah..." Andros hesitated. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," she said, shifting uncomfortably. "How long until it's ready?"

He glanced at the clock and then back at her, not quite meeting her eyes. "Fifteen minutes, maybe."

"Good," Ashley said softly, letting out another breath. "Andros, sit down. We need to talk."

"Ash..."

"Sit, Andros," she said firmly, unable to stand the pleading in his tone. He did, eventually, seating himself stiffly on the edge of the seat.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked quietly, his voice heavy with resignation. Andros was far from stupid, and as Ashley watched him sadly, she knew he was expecting her to say something he didn't want to hear.

"Okay, first..." Ashley sighed. "First, I owe you a huge apology for what I said to you this morning. I'm so sorry, Andros. I - "

"It's all right," he interrupted, his eyes anywhere but on her.

Ashley sighed again and leaned across the table, her fingers grasping him gently by the chin. When he didn't recoil, she slowly turned his head towards hers until their eyes met.

"Is it really?"

"It's fine, Ash."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, pulling away. Ashley knew he was lying, but didn't know what she could say. "I'm still sorry."

"I know you are," he said softly, his eyes flickering towards her. "But it's all right, Ash."

"Don't say that," she nearly screamed at him, but caught herself just in time. Swallowing, she forced a smile, focusing on the wood grain of their kitchen table.

"I didn't go to class today," she said suddenly. Andros looked up at her in surprise, and she rushed on before he could say anything. "I just couldn't, and I was driving around town, and, well... somehow I ended up at the cemetary. I - "

"Cemetary?" Andros repeated softly. "Ash..."

"My grandparents are buried there," she said. "I thought it might help if I just... talked to them."

Andros nodded slowly, though she couldn't be sure he undertood. "Did it? Help, I mean."

"Yeah." Ashley nodded. "I think it did... I know that they're all right now, and they're together, and... and I think they're taking care of our little boy for us. I think he's all right."

There was some hope flickering in the depths of Andros's sad eyes. "Do you really?"

"I have to believe he's all right," she said softly. "I need to, or else it will never get better."

She stopped there, watching him intently. "Andros? Do you think he's all right?"

He turned away from her, not much, but just enough so that she couldn't meet his eyes no matter how she shifted. "I want to," he said quietly, his voice little more than a whisper. "But I don't know, Ash."

"Why not?" Her voice came out stronger than she'd wanted, and the question became more of a demand. "Don't you want your child to be all right? Be safe?"

"Of course I do," he whispered. "But Ash, I just don't know. I don't know what happens when people die. Everyone I've lost... I want them to be safe. I want them to be happy, but I just don't know, Ash, and I don't want to guess."

"Why not?" she asked again, her voice gentler this time. "It's easier to let go if you know that they're all right."

"That's why," he said. "Don't you see? If I think that they're all right, and then I find out later that they're not, it would be like I'd abandoned them somehow."

"You wouldn't have abandoned them," she argued. "You still remember them, don't you?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Then grieve for them," Ashley said quietly. "Mourn. But you have to let them go. You have to move on."

"It's not that easy, Ash," he said softly. "How do I let go of our baby?"

"Just... believe that he's all right," Ashley told him. "Cry for him."

"I'll try," he said hesitantly. He turned then, his eyes finally meeting hers. "Ash? Would you... help me?"

Guiltily remembering being asked a similar question that morning, Ashley nodded her head, reaching across the table to clasp his hand. He offered her a tentative smile, and she realized for the first time how long it had been since she'd touched him. She squeezed his fingers hard, as if she could keep him from slipping away.

"Andros?" Ashley hesitated. "Can we name him?"

Through their joined hands, she felt him tense. "Would it help?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "It might, but when I was... with my grandparents, I realized that whenever we talked about him, we just called him 'him' or 'our baby.' It doesn't feel right, Andros. He's our son and we should name him."

"You have a name picked out already, don't you?" he asked knowingly, a trace of a sad smile on his face.

Ashley smiled back timidly. "Yeah," she admitted. "What do you think of the name Joey?"

"Joey?" Andros repeated. "Why Joey?"

"It's short for Joseph," she explained. "That was my grandpa's name."

He nodded slowly. "If it's what you want."

"It is," she said, giving his fingers another squeeze. "Thanks."

"I love you," he said abruptly, pulling his fingers out of hers, turning away again. "Ash, I love you."

Remembering how she'd fled that morning, Ashley winced guiltily. Slipping out of her seat, she moved across the table to wrap her arms around his neck. He seemed surprised at the hug, but returned it willingly, standing to make the embrace more natural.

"I love you too," she whispered in his ear. "So much, Andros."

He shifted then, pulling back just enough to press his lips against hers. The kiss was uncertain, and Ashley returned it hesitantly, becoming all too aware of the awkward distance growing between them.


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** Still not mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Of course it's great! I Need You was one of the first few stories I read, and I really fell in love with it._

_**flowerweasly16:** There's still a lot that will happen before they're all right._

_**Just Jill:** Yup, David's going to hang around for another few chapters. In fact, here he is._

_**Jenny:** No, they're not that comfortable around each other anymore. No offense taken, I like the other plot better, too. :P _

_**Mel:** Collin's a cool name. We'll see if I use it sometime._

**Chapter 15**

"Hey."

At the semi-familiar voice, Ashley glanced up, surprised to see the tanned man walking towards her. He paused at the gates to the cemetery, waiting for her to reach him.

"Oh, hi, David," she greeted, shifting the two bouquets of roses cradled in her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just leaving, actually," he told her. "Unless you'd like to talk or something..."

"Um, sure," she said. "I was just going to take these to my grandparents."

"Need some help with those?" he offered.

"That's be great, actually," she said with a grateful smile, shifting the bundle of pink roses from her arms to David's. "I didn't know flowers could be so heavy."

He laughed quietly. "The roses were their favorite?"

"Yeah," Ashley said with a sad smile. She started moving away from him down the pathway, speeding up a little as he began to follow. "Their house had this amazing garden."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said, her smile brightening. "Jeff - my brother - and I, we'd play hide and seek in their backyard. Some of those flowers were almost large enough to hide in."

David smiled as they rounded a corner. "My grandmother couldn't stand flowers. My grandfather loved them and he was always buying them or growing them... but besides that, I don't think they ever fought. Not once in forty-eight years."

"Wow..." Ashley sighed. "I wish..."

She hadn't meant to speak, hadn't meant to reveal that much of herself to a man she had met two days before, but he looked at her quizzically and the words just poured out.

"I wish Andros and I could be like that," she told him, sighing. "I think we could have been, before, but now... it's like everything between us has changed."

"But everything between you **has** changed," David said. "You married him because you were pregnant with his child, and now that child's gone."

"No," Ashley exclaimed, her feet cruching lightly on the pathway as she halted abruptly. "I married him because I love him. I love him, David."

"I never said you didn't," he said quickly. "But... if there had been no baby, would you be married to him now?"

"I... I don't know," Ashley was forced to admit, quickening her pace as she spotted her grandparent's graves a few yards ahead. "Andros proposed right after I told him about the baby..."

"He wanted to do the right thing," David said softly. "For you and the baby."

"But... he had a ring," she protested, not sure whom it was with she was arguing any longer. "And he said he'd wanted to ask me for awhile..."

"If there had been no baby, do you think he would have asked you so soon?"

Ashley was spared from having to reply as they halted before Edith and Joseph's headstone. Taking the roses David had carried, she knelt in the damp grass, smiling, if a bit sadly.

"Hi, Grandma," she whispered, settling first the pink roses and then the yellow ones against the dull slab of gray. "Hi, Grandpa."

Her mouth opened and closed several times, but words refused to flow as freely as they had a few days before. David hovered only a few feet away, his presence stifling her. More than slightly bothered, she frowned, shaking her head as another attempt to force some words from her throat failed.

"I'll be back soon," she said finally. "Take care of Joey for me."

Ashley stood abruptly, not waiting for David as she turned and nearly stalked from the cemetery. She heard him following her, calling after her. She didn't wait for him to catch up to her and continued walking, her fingers grasping the door handle of her car before she felt his hand closing around her arm.

"Ashley..."

He was slightly winded from his run, and he didn't release her as he caught his breath, instead tightening the already firm grasp he had on her arm, tugging her to face him.

"David, I really don't think - "

"Look, just hear me out, all right?" he pleased. "Come on, Ash, please?"

Hearing him address her so familiarly sent instant waves of consternation flowing through her, but Ashley paused, considering his request half in spite of herself. _He could just want to apologize... Maybe he didn't know..._

Ashley wasn't nearly naive, but she was hesitant to judge him without hearing his side of the story. She sighed and nodded to him. "Fine."

"I'm sorry, all right?" he said, his deep brown eyes holding her nearly in a trance. "About what I said earlier, I mean. I didn't mean to suggest that you don't love your husband. I know you do... It's just, you seemed a little depressed."

"A **little** depressed?" she repeated dryly, nearly laughing.

"Very depressed, then," he said with a little laugh. "I've never been good at being tactful and all that, and I was just trying to help. I didn't meant tot offend you..."

Ashley sighed, some of her wariness fading. "Look, David, I just met you a few days ago. I liked talking to you, but I really don't feel comfortable discussing my marriage with you."

"Andros wouldn't like it, you mean?" he asked knowingly, smirking slightly.

"No," she agreed readily. "But I don't blame him for it. I wouldn't want him talking about me to anyone, either."

"You shouldn't base your decisions on what Andros would and wouldn't like," he told her, his eyes lingering on her. "You should do what you want."

"David..." Now very bothered, Ashley was suddenly very aware that he had never released her arm. "David, let me go."

"Oh," he said, looking startled for a moment. "Ashley, I'm sorry."

She sighed and shook her head, her arm red and white where he had held her. "David, I have to go now."

"Wait," he pleaded, maneuvering himself between her and the car. "Can't we be friends, Ash?"

"I don't think it would be a good idea," Ashley said finally, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

David's eyes narrowed, his face darkening. "Ashley..."

"David, I have to go now," she repeated.

"Right," he said, sighing heavily. With another sigh, he moved away from her car just enough so she could slip inside. "I'll see you around, Ash."

Ashley just sighed again and slowly backed out of her parking space. David's eyes never left her car as she drove away, and she bit her lip, suddenly anxious to get home to Andros. Though she had done nothing wrong, she felt as though she had... She frowned and bit her lip, suddenly realizing that she had never told Andros about David.


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Well... you'll see._

_**C.C.C:** Of course it'd be better... I guess I'll give them a little bit of a break here. :P_

_**Just Jill:** Her arm doesn't bruise, but as for the rest of it..._

_**DizneeDol:** Sorry for the wait, real life caught up with me for a few days. :P_

_**Jenny:** Here's more. Tell Subconscious to attack David!_

_**Mel:** Well, I didn't update forever, so you shouldn't have too much to read. :P_

**Chapter 16**

"Hi," Ashley said quietly, leaning against the doorjamb as she watched Andros. He was already in bed, knees drawn up as he stared off into space. When she paused in the doorway, he came out of his trance enough to greet her.

"Hi," he replied, his voice no louder than hers had been as she watched him sneak a quick glance at the clock. He hesitated. "Where were you?"

"Thinking," she said, still hovering in the doorway. "Can I come in?"

When Andros winced at the words, she knew he was just as painfully aware of how far apart they had grown as she was. "It's your room too, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah..." She sighed and stepped into the room, shrugging off her coat. "Look, Andros, we really need to talk."

"Are you leaving?" he asked bluntly, the tonelessness of his voice at odds with the obvious fright in his eyes.

Ashley paused as she reached her dresser, turning slowly to face him. "Do you want me to?"

"No," he exclaimed, his voice softening to a whisper as he went on. "I don't. I love you, Ash."

Ashley turned away, slipping out of her jeans and into her pajama bottoms before she spoke again. "Do you think I want to?"

"Sometimes..." Andros faltered, before taking a deep breath. "Sometimes, I think you want me to, and I... I couldn't blame you if you really did."

"Have I really been that horrible to you?"

Andros cast his eyes away deliberately, staring hard at the wall opposite him as Ashley came to join him on the bed. She sat down carefully, as close to the edge of the mattress as she could be without tumbling down onto the floor. Andros was still avoiding her gaze, and she sighed quietly, biting her lip hard. Slowly, Ashley reached out, her fingers grasping him by the chin. He tensed, but didn't protest as she turned his face to hers.

"Answer me, Andros," she said quietly. "Have I been that awful?"

He nodded slowly, biting down hard on his lip as he turned away from her. "I know I deserve it," he muttered. "I know you'll never forgive me. I just... I hoped you would."

"Andros?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Ashley."

"Andros, look at me."

He did, finally meeting her eyes of his own free will. "Ashley, I - "

"Do you really think you don't deserve any better than me screaming at you?" whispered, her vision blurring.

"You're angry at me," he said evenly. "You have the right to be."

"That's not what I asked," she said, blinking back her tears. "Andros, all those times I've hurt you, do you really think you don't deserve any better?"

"I know I don't," he answered finally, his voice beginning to waver. "Everything was perfect, and somehow... somehow, I messed it up."

"Andros..." Ashley bit her lip hard, willing herself not to cry. "Andros, it wasn't perfect."

"It was," he insisted. "I had you, and we were having a a baby. And then - "

"Andros, I've been horrible to you since the day we got married," she interrupted him to say. "Whenever any little thing was irritating or annoying, I'd just let all the hormones get the better of me and scream at you. I didn't even care I was hurting you, not until later."

She paused, suddenly remembering something. "The day of the accident, I was coming home to apologize to you," she admitted. "I'd been talking to Carlos, and he convinced me I needed to talk to you, but I'd thought that I couldn't."

"Oh." Andros glanced down at his hands, muttering, "I thought you knew you could talk to me."

Ashley had never seen Andros look so small, so helpless, so... frightened, and she realized that she had just hurt him far more than she ever had before. With a quiet sigh, she reached out, laying her hand on his arm.

"I did know that," she said softly, her fingers tightening briefly around his arm. "I do know that. I just... while I was pregnant, you were so... perfect. You'd let me yell at you, and then you wouldn't let me apologize for it. All those times when I was just crying for no reason, you'd hold me and keep telling me that it was all okay, and you didn't even know what was wrong. I couldn't tell you to stop doing all that, because it'd be like I was telling you to stop loving me."

"Ashley, I'd never stop loving you," he protested, the deep hurt in his eyes gowing even deeper. "No matter what you'd said."

Ashley shifted uneasily, not knowing how to respond. "I just didn't want to hurt you," she said finally, her eyes flickering up to meet his tentatively. "I guess I messed that up, huh?"

Andros reached up, laying his right hand over the fingers still grasping his arm. "Ash... do you think that we... could be all right again?"

"I... don't know," she answered honestly. "We could try."

"I love you," he said quietly, squeezing her fingers hard. "I love you so much, Ash. I don't want to lose you."

"Andros, I love you too," Ashley whispered.

After a moment of indecision, she leaned forward, sliding her arms around his waist. Andros hugged her shoulders with one arm, pulling her close to him, and for a few moments, Ashley managed to put the past month out of her mind and concentrate only on the feel of being back in his arms.

"You're wrong, you know," she told him, mumbling her words into his shoulder. "I'm not angry at you."

"You're... not?"

Ashley pulled back with a heavy sigh. "Andros, why did you let them take the baby away?"

"I didn't want to lose you," he muttered. "But you wish I hadn't, don't you? You wish I'd waited, to see if you were strong enough to pull through on your own."

"Andros, I can't hate you for wanting me to live," she said softly, inching closer to him once again. "I can't be angry with you for trying to save me. It just... hurts so much and I think I took most of that out on you... I'm sorry."

"You don't have to - "

"You're wrong," she said, slowly reaching to twine her fingers through his. "I do have to apologize. I've hurt you so much, Andros, and I'll never be able to make that up to you."

"You can," he whispered suddenly, his eyes flickering up to meet hers. "You can forgive me."

"Oh, Andros..." Ashley shifted and slipped both her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. "I do. I don't hate you for this, I don't. I love you."

"I love you too, Ash," he murmured, burying his face in her hair. "Can we... start over somehow? I can't lose you, Ash."

"I don't want to lose you, either," she said quietly, curling up against him. With a timid smile, she craned her neck to glance up at him. "How've you been for the last month?"

"Lonely," he admitted, hugging her close. "I've missed you, Ash."

"I've missed you too," she murmured, giving his fingers a slight squeeze. "It's funny... you were right here the whole time, but it feels like you haven't been."

Andros watched her almost shyly for a moment or two. "I guess I got so used to holding you that when I wasn't, it felt like you weren't here, even if you were as close as you are now."

Ashley nodded. "I guess we need to talk a lot..."

"Yeah," Andros agreed, his face disappearing into her hair once again. "But it's all right now, isn't it?"

Ashley hesitated. "Well... there's something I should probably tell you."

"What happened?" Andros drew back, alarm evident in his face.

"Nothing," Ashley assured him quickly. "I just don't want you hearing this from anyone else... I met this guy in the cemetery a few days ago."

Andros felt his heart drop down into his stomach. "You didn't - "

"Of course not," she exclaimed, now knowing how much she'd hurt him in recent days. She sighed, also knowing how far apart they'd have to have drifted for him to even wonder. "I'd **never** do that to you, Andros. Never."

He nodded, exhaling slowly with relief. "You just sounded so... serious."

Ashley sighed. "He seemed nice enough the first time, but today... Actually, I think I owe him a lot. He kept trying to tell me that we'd only gotten married because I'd gotten pregnant, and there was no reason for us to be together anymore. I think the first time, I was only arguing with him because it felt wrong not to, but I... know you love me, Andros, and no one can convince me that you don't."

Andros actually smiled for the first time in weeks. "I do love you, Ash," he whispered in her ear. "Always and forever."

"Always and forever," she echoed, hugging his fingers for a long minute. There was still a long way to go, but Ashley dared to believe that they could make it in the end.


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, won't ever be.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Technically, I don't actually break them up, but yes, I do have to. :P_

_**Jenny:** Subconscious can't kill David just yet! I still need him. Hehe... You're gonna kill me._

_**flowerweasly16:** Things won't be completely better until the end of the sequel, and even then, there's still a few things that aren't quite so good._

_**Just Jill:** Well, they're still happy here... And David is just some guy I made up._

**Chapter 17**

"Ashley."

She groaned quietly, turning her face away from the hand gently stroking her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open half against her will, her reluctance to return to the waking world gone just a moment later. A slow smile spread itself across her face as she found herself curled up around Andros. He'd propped himself up on one elbow, and gazed down at her as his hand gently smoothed her hair.

"Morning," she whispered. "Sleep well?"

He nodded slowly, his hazel eyes never leaving her brown ones. "Better than I have in a long time, actually," he admitted, the contentment in his eyes dimming just a bit. "I love you, Ash."

"I love you too, Andros," she said quietly, covering his fingers with her own. He smiled timidly at her as his body relaxed, wrapping his arms around her to hug her close.

"What day is it?" she asked suddenly, noticing that the sunlight streaming in through the crack in the curtains seemed to be at a different angle than usual.

"Saturday," he replied after a pause.

"You don't have to go anywhere, do you?"

He shook his head. "Why?"

"I was just thinking..." Ashley stretched her arms above her head, arching against him. "We haven't spent any time together in so long..."

Andros smiled. "What did you have in mind?"

She shrugged. "Just something where we're together, where we can talk. **Really** talk. We need to, or else it's not going to get any better."

"I know." Andros sighed and nodded, his smile shrinking. "Did you want to go somewhere?"

Ashley shook her head. "I'd rather just stay here," she said, tightening her fingers around his. "Just us."

Andros nodded again, smiling bravely. "Want some breakfast?"

**---**

"Andros?"

"Yeah?"

"We have to learn how to cook something besides pancakes and scrambled eggs," Ashley said firmly, eyeing the remains of her breakfast warily. "We have cookbooks, don't we?"

Andros nodded, swallowing. "I think so."

"We have got to find them," she said decisively. "If I have to eat any more pancakes..."

Leaving the thought unfinished, she stood, dumping the plate and fork into the dishwasher. Andros shrugged and snagged the last pancake, reaching for the syrup as Ashley poured herself some more orange juice.

"You're not sick of them?"

He shook his head, still chewing.

"How can you not be?" she demanded. "It's practically all we've eaten for the last four months."

"Because you taught me how to make them," he admitted sheepishly, knowing how silly it must have sounded to her.

Ashley's face was sad as she watched him for a moment, and just as he was beginning to wonder what he'd said wrong, she slipped out of her seat, fastening her arms around his neck in a death grip.

"You're so sweet," she whispered in his ear, nearly driven to tears. She swallowed hard against the sudden lump in her throat, wondering how she could have ever **wanted** to hurt him.

Gently, Andros pried himself loose, blushing faintly. "I..."

Ashley smiled and straightened up, resting her chin on the top of his head. "Don't you **ever** just let me scream at you again," she whispered fiercely, hugging him hard. "You deserve so much better."

Andros shifted uncomfortably within her arms and she sighed, pulling back to just stare at him for a few moments as he finished the last of his breakfast. Taking his plate and her empty glass, she set them in the dishwasher as well, turning back to Andros with a smile.

"Come on."

He glanced up in surprise as she took him by the arm, but didn't protest as she tugged him out of the kitchen and into the living room. He sank down onto the couch as she motioned for him to do, stopping just short of taking her into his arms when she joined him.

"How are you?" she asked softly.

"I'm all right," he said slowly, not knowing how else to respond.

"No." Ashley shook her head. "Come on, **talk** to me. What are you thinking right now?"

"I'm thinking... I want to hug you," he admitted, watching her reaction carefully. "Please?"

Without a word, Ashley slipped her arms around his waist, holding him as hard as she could. He seemed startled for a moment, but then returned the embrace, holding her close, his face buried in her hair.

"I've missed this," Ashley murmured, overwhelmed by the warmth and safety she hadn't felt for a month and a half. With a sigh, she hugged him a little closer. "How's work? Is Earth a League planet yet?"

"Not yet," he said, sighing. "But they're considering it."

"I thought that was a good thing," she said, surprised at his sudden dejection.

"It is," he said, glancing away. "But once Earth is admitted into the League, there's no point in me working at NASADA, is there?"

"Oh." Ashley hadn't thought of that. "They'll fire you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"If they do, you'll be fine," she tried to convince him. "Anyone will hire you. You were a Power Ranger."

"But I'm not anymore," he said quietly, his eyes darkening. "I was trained to be a ranger, and now that I'm not..."

"You think there's nothing else for you to do?" she finished knowingly.

He nodded slowly, not quite looking at her.

The question sounded ridiculous even in her head, but she had to ask, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

He shrugged, considering the question for a long moment. "You had enough to think about," he said finally. "And now... I just didn't want to bother you."

"Andros..." Ashley sighed. "You should have told me."

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I never meant to not tell you. I just - "

"I'm not angry at you," she interrupted quickly, hearing his voice grow smaller and smaller. "I can't be, not after all those times I should have just talked to you... Will you promise me something?"

He nodded wordlessly, his eyes still not quite fixed on her.

"Next time something's bothering you like this, just tell me," she pleaded. "And when something's bothering me, I promise I'll come talk to you, all right? Andros, if we just stop talking to each other, we're going to fall apart."

"I promise," he said quietly, his hazel eyes filling with fear at the thought of finding himself without her. "I can't lose you, Ash."

"You won't," she said, her fingers lightly stroking his cheek. "If we just talk to each other, you won't lose me, and I won't lose you."

"I can't lose you, Ash," he repeated, more firmly. "I love you."

"I love you too," she murmured, grinning nervously. "You know what?"

He shook his head, offering her a small, uncertain smile. "What?"

"I can't remember the last time I kissed you," she admitted, her fingers brushing against his lips. The invitation was clear, and he shifted carefully, lowering his face to meet hers. Their lips brushed together gently, parting again just a second later, but it wasn't awkward, as some of their last kisses had been, but sweet, and hopeful.


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers still isn't mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** You should really love this. :D_

_**Jenny:** No, don't be depressed! And if there's anything left, you can kill David after you read the next chapter. :P_

_**Billie-Tracy:** Andros and Ashley have always been my favorites._

_**Just Jill:** I've finally worked out an ending that's not quite as bad as what I originally had in mind (and doesn't require everyone to suspend disbelief) but it's still going to be hard for them._

**Chapter 18**

"Ashley!" Cassie exclaimed, flinging her arms around her friend the moment the door opened. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I know." Ashley sighed, hugging the other girl hard. "My fault."

Cassie said nothing, but when she pulled back, Ashley found herself the recipient of a long, searching glance.

"You didn't have to avoid us, you know," she said finally. "We would have been there for you. We're still here for you. For both of you."

"I know," Ashley mumbled, shifting guiltily. "I'm sorry."

"Ash, I didn't mean..." Cassie sighed and shook her head. "Come on, get in here."

"So... How've you been, Cass?" she asked awkwardly, suddenly realizing how long it had been since she had even talked to her best friend.

"I've been all right," Cassie replied vaguely, tossing her dark hair off of her shoulders as she sat.

"Famous yet?" Ashley asked with a grin.

"Nah," Cassie said with a shake of her head. "I've had a few jobs, but nothing exciting. You?"

"I..."

"How are you, Ash?" she asked quietly. "How are you really?"

"I think I'm all right," Ashley said finally. "I'm better than I was, anyway. It's just... hard."

Cassie nodded. "And Andros?"

Ashley winced. "He doesn't know how to grieve, Cass. He was asking for help and I just... I just kept hurting him so much more than he already was."

"You've been fighting a lot?"

Ashley shook her head, throat too tight for words.

"Ash?" Cassie asked, alarmed at the sudden tears in her friend's eyes.

"I'm such an idiot, Cass," she whispered. "He was hurting so much, and I didn't do anything. I didn't even care. I was venting everything off on him, and he never said anything. He never shouted back. He never told me to stop. He never said anything..."

Ashley swallowed hard. "He told me he knew I wished that he'd waited, to see if I was strong enough to wake up on my own. He thought I wanted him to leave, because he hadn't."

"Did you?" Cassie asked quietly, shifting to wrap her arms around Ashley.

"I... don't know," she admitted, feeling horrible just for the thought. "Maybe I did, for a few minutes, but the look on his face when he said it... I can't believe I was that horrible to him, Cassie."

"Does he know how you feel?"

"Yeah." Ashley sighed. "We talked all day yesterday. I keep hoping that we'll be all right, but there's no way we can tell, and I... I'm scared."

"You should be," Cassie said, hugging her hard. "But I still think you and Andros belong together, Ash."

"I hope you're right, Cass," she whispered. "I need him, and I love him, and I'm so afraid that I'll come home one day and he'll be gone."

"I know you, Ash, and you're not gonna let that happen." Cassie paused. "Ash, this really is none of my business - "

"That's never stopped you before," Ashley murmured, trying hard to grin. Cassie made a face at her, and a small, watery giggle escaped her throat.

"Ash, what did he tell you?" Cassie asked slowly. "About when you were in the coma, I mean."

"He told me..." Ashley closed her eyes for a moment, straining to remember. She swallowed hard as Andros's heartbroken expression came back to her. "He told me that my heart stopped beating. They brought me back, but the doctors said I wasn't going to wake up because of the baby. Why?"

Cassie hesitated. "You said that Andros said that he should have waited to see if you'd come out of it on your own?"

Ashley nodded.

"Ash, he **did** wait," Cassie told her quietly. "He waited until it was almost too late, and they kept telling him that they didn't think they'd be able to bring you back again - "

"Again?" she repeated dimly. "They brought me back twice?"

"No." Cassie shook her head, tears filling her own eyes. "Your heartbeat was so erratic... The doctors kept telling Andros that if he didn't hurry up and let them abort the pregnancy, it would be to late to save you. Ash, he didn't want to do it. He was begging you to wake up, just pleading with you for days, and then your heart skipped a few beats... He thought he'd killed you."

"Oh god..." Ashley closed her eyes, tears trickling slowly down her cheeks. "I don't deserve him, Cassie."

"You do," her friend insisted immediately. "Don't do this to yourself, Ash, not when you just said the two of you were doing better."

"But..." Ashley stared at her helplessly. "Why'd you tell me this for? I felt horrible enough already!"

"Because you should know," Cassie said firmly. "So the next time you have any doubts, you'll know that Andros didn't want to do any of this. You're everything to him, Ash. Everything. Just... know that, and the next time you're tempted to yell or scream, remember it."

Tears still leaking out of her eyes, Ashley nodded slowly, hugging her hard. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Cassie whispered, swiping at her eyes. "Don't hide from us anymore, Ash, all right?"

"I promise," she murmured, carefully prying Cassie's arms from her neck. "I have to go."

Cassie smiled knowingly. "Go looking for Andros?"

Ashley nodded. "I'll see you later."

"Always." Cassie smiled. "Good luck."


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** If we all agree that I own nothing, can I stop with the disclaimers already?

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** This actually is soon! Sorta. :P_

_**Jenny:** Don't be depressed! Be happy! I'll write you a being happy story:D (How annoying do I sound?) You **are** crazy. But we all knew that. If Ashley's left you anything, you can kill David now. :P_

_**Just Jill:** She did, and now they can be happy again._

**Chapter 19**

Andros glanced at the clock as he traded his work clothes for his pajamas. It was nearly ten-thirty, and Ashley still wasn't home. Alarm welled up within him for a moment before he remembered that she'd mentioned something about seeing Cassie. It was a twenty minute drive both ways, and he knew that the two of them hadn't talked in nearly a month.

Telling himself sternly that there was nothing he should be worried about, Andros crawled into bed and settled back against the pillows to wait for her. Their bed was far too large without her in it, and there was no way he was going to fall asleep without her in his arms.

He glanced down at his left hand and sighed. His thumb slowly ran along the edge of his wedding ring as his thought turned, inevitably, to Ashley. He smiled sadly down at his hands, unsure of how to feel any longer. Things had been calm and fairly easy the last few days, but he couldn't help but feel as though he should be tense, waiting for her to explode.

Andros shook his head with another sigh. Ashley was everything, and without her, he wasn't sure he could go on living. He just wished that he had the words to tell her so.

He glanced up in surprise as the doorbell sounded. No one had mentioned anything about coming over, and Ashley had her key... The bell rang again, and Andros sighed, dragging himself out of the warmth and comfort of his bed, deciding that Ashley had probably forgotten her key.

Andros shivered as he opened the door, the night air chilly. Much to his surprise, it wasn't Ashley that stood there, but a man a few years older than himself.

"Hello," he said slowly, wondering who this man was and what he was doing on his doorstep. "Can I help you?"

"Is Ashley here?"

"No," he said after a brief pause, now wondering what this man could possibly want with his wife this late at night. "I could have her call you later, but I don't know when she'll be home."

"You're her husband, right?"

"I'm Andros," he said. When the man on his doorstep made no move to introduce himself, he added, "And you are?"

"My name's David," the man said after a pause. He hesitated. "Did Ashley tell you about me?"

"I don't think so," Andros said slowly. "Should she have?"

"Well, no," David admitted. "I just kinda hoped she would."

"She could have," Andros offered, uneasy with the entire conversation. "I might have forgotten."

"You should listen to her," David advised him.

Andros frowned, now certain that something was wrong. "How did you say you know Ashley?"

"I didn't say," David informed him. "And it's none of your business, really."

Andros raised an eyebrow. "It's ten-thirty at night and you're on my doorstep looking for my wife."

"That doesn't give you the right to intrude on her personal life," David insisted.

Andros sighed. He was sorely tempted to slam the door in David's face and go back to bed, but if he chose to do so, he didn't doubt that this man would still be waiting on his doorstep when Ashley finally got home, and he wasn't about to let that happen.

_"Ash?"_ he thought at her._ "Who's David?"_

**---**

Ashley pulled up into the driveway, slamming the car door shut hard enough to send the sound reverberating through the entire neighborhood. She stormed up the walk, tapping the man on her doorstep hard on the shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "How'd you know I live here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you," David insisted. "Calm down."

"Calm down?" she repeated increduously. "You followed me home! I thought I told you we shouldn't see each other anymore."

"You followed her home?" Andros was suddenly very menacing, and Ashley nearly laughed at David's sudden alarm.

"I didn't follow anyone!" he exclaimed, finally backing off of the doorstep.

"Then how'd you get here?" Ashley demanded.

"My sister's friend is in your design class," he admitted. "Your name and number were on the class roster, and your address was in the phone book."

Unable to help himself, Andros slipped an arm around Ashley's waist, pulling her close to him without a second thought. It certainly sounded to him that this guy was stalking her.

"David, I think you should go home now," Ashley said firmly, edging closer to Andros.

"Look, all I wanted to do was apologize," he insisted. "Last time we talked, I said some things... that I guess I shouldn't have said."

"Yeah," Ashley agreed cooly, her fingers tightening on Andros's arm. "You definitely did."

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Ashley sighed. "If I accept your apology, will you please go home?"

"Yeah, sure," David agreed.

"Then I accept your apology," Ashley said heavily. "Now, please go home, David. It's late, and I'm cold."

"Would you have lunch with me tomorrow?"

"No," she snapped. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

"I think Ashley told you to go home," Andros cut in, grasping David firmly by the arm. "You **can** walk down to the sidewalk without help, can't you?"

"Let me go," David snapped, twisting away angrily. "Don't touch me!"

"Then go," Andros said calmly. "You came to talk to Ashley and you got what you wanted. Now, go home and stay away from her."

"I'm going," he insisted. "You didn't need to do that."

"I think I did," Andros said cooly. "And if you don't leave now, I think I'll have to do more."

"That's how you solve everything, isn't it? There was no accident, was there?" David accused, rubbing at the marks Andros's hand had left on his arm. "She was in the hospital because you beat her, wasn't she? You had to marry her, and then you changed your mind about the baby, so you beat it out of her. You killed - "

Andros had felt Ashley move past him halfway though David's little rant, but it took him a moment to realize that the loud snap that followed was Ashley slapping him full across the face. The force of the blow sent David reeling, and Ashley stood over him, her glare harsher than anything Andros had ever seen.

"Don't you **ever** call my husband a murderer," she growled, her eyes cold and icy. "You are going to go home now, David, and if you ever try to talk to me, I won't let you off easy again. Do you understand?"

She turned and strode calmly past Andros into the house, her hand slipping into his. Too stunned to do anything but let her pull him into the house, he simply stared at her as she slammed the door, locked it, and flipped on their alarm.

"Just in case he comes back," she said with a small shrug. "I don't think he will, but if he does... Let's just say I'd rather have some warning."

Andros was still staring at her. "I've never seen you like this before."

"No one's ever told me you murdered our child before," Ashley retorted. "What did you think I was going to do?"

"I don't know," he admitted, relaxing as her expression softened.

"I love you, Andros," she murmured, slipping her arms around his neck and holding him tight. "I know you wouldn't hurt me, and no one can say that you do and not pay for it."

"I love you too, Ash," he whispered. "And... thanks."

"Anytime," she said, faintly amused. She smiled as she slipped her hand back into his, tugging gently on his arm. "Come on, let's go to bed. It's late, and I'm tired."

Andros smiled back and followed her up the stairs, his heart lighter than it had been in months. He squeezed her fingers hard, somehow knowing that they would be all right from now on.


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers is not mine. This story is mine.

_**Jessica01:** So do I. :P_

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Here, I finally updated!_

_**Just Jill:** It's not confusing at all. I think that's was I was going for. I needed Ashley to get angry, and that seemed a pretty good way to do it._

_**Jenny:** Umm... I posted a romance theme because I'm completely crazy and all the little voices in my head don't feel that I'm doing nearly enough writing with just the two stories I have up and the others I'm working on? Yeah, I'm completely crazy. :D_

**Chapter 20**

"Andros?"

A hand smacked the back of his head hard enough to jolt him awake. Blinking sleep out of his eyes, Andros slowly pieced together that he was at work. He'd fallen asleep at his desk, and now Zhane was standing in front of him, his expression one of extreme amusement.

"What?" he mumbled groggily, rubbing at his eyes. "Did something happen? What are you doing here?"

"Waking you up, apparently." Zhane grinned. "Is your job really this boring?"

"Yeah." Andros yawned. "And I didn't get much sleep last night."

Zhane smirked.

Andros glared at him. "If you must know, some man showed up at our house last night looking for Ashley. She told him to go home and he... didn't like that. I kept waking up, thinking he'd come back."

"What'd he want with Ash?"

"I don't know," Andros admitted. "But nothing good... Why are you here, again?"

Zhane sighed. "Karone and I want to go home."

"What?" Andros woke up the rest of the way. "You're going back to KO-35?"

"Not permanently," his friend was quick to say. "A few months, maybe a year."

"A year?" he repeated softly. "Why?"

"They need us," Zhane said simply. "When we left them, things were good, but now they're having trouble staying together. Astr- Dark Spectre, sorry- practically destroyed the planets that produced fuel, and there's only so much food for so many people. All the colonies nearby are practically at war with each other. There's no law, nothing. They need help. They need us."

Andros sighed. "You should go, then. You and Karone."

Zhane looked at him oddly. "Andros?"

"They're my people too," he burst out. "I shouldn't be sitting here, doing nothing to help them when they need it!"

"You could-"

"No," he said quietly, shaking his head. "I can't go. I can't leave Ashley, and I won't ask her to give up her life here just so-"

"And why not?" Zhane demanded. "How do you know she wouldn't want to go? She's one of the kindest, most giving people I've ever met. How do you know she wouldn't want to help?"

"It wouldn't be fair to her," Andros insisted. "She has a life here."

"And you had one on KO-35," Zhane retorted. "Look, can't you just talk to her? Ask her if she might want to go? Even for only a few months?"

"I could," he said finally. "But I don't think I should."

"Andros?"

"I can't," he said firmly. "You and Karone go to KO-35. I'm staying here."

"Andros-"

"I can't," he repeated. "Not when everything is almost back to how it was before."

"Andros." Zhane sighed. "What are you talking about?"

"Ashley," he explained. "We're all right again. I can't risk ruining that."

"Andros, if you and Ashley were 'all right' again, you wouldn't be afraid to talk to her now."

"I'm not-"

"You are," Zhane told him firmly. "Why?"

Andros glanced down at his hands and mumbled something unintelligible. Zhane rolled his eyes at the ceiling, and sighed.

"What was that, again?"

"I can't ask her to give up anymore of her life for me," Andros said finally.

Zhane rolled his eyes once again. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Her family never wants to see her again because of me," Andros explained.

"That was her choice," Zhane reminded him.

"I took away her child."

"Her child?" Zhane repeated. "Wasn't that baby half yours?"

"He stopped being mine when I let him die," Andros nearly shouted. "Don't you see, Zhane? Everything I do just hurts her, but somehow, she still loves me. If I ask her to move halfway across the universe, and she says yes, I already know it's going to go horribly wrong. I can't hurt her again."

"So... your plan is to be unhappy and hope she doesn't notice."

"I'm not unhappy," Andros protested. "I shouldn't be, not when I have her."

"I still say you talk to her."

"I can't."

"Then I give up," Zhane announced. "Andros, you're being an idiot."

Andros said nothing, though his eyes narrowed as he glared down at the floor. "Does it matter?"

"Not to me," Zhane said cheerfully, heading towards the door. "But I don't live with you, and I'm pretty sure Ash is gonna notice."


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers is not mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Nope, Zhane's not being very nice, but Andros isn't being very nice either. You should really love this. :D_

_**Jessica01:** You find out now._

_**Just Jill:** No, her family didn't stick David on her... but that would have been really interesting._

_**Jenny:** Does this story have an actual plot? Well, it was supposed to. And then it was supposed to be the sequel to the story that is now Somebody To Love Part II, and then the sequel to this story was supposed to be something else all off on it's own and now it's all a big mess and I have even less of an idea than usual of where it's going. So... no, not really. :P_

_**Arwennicole:** Well, things are definitely better in this chapter. :D_

**Chapter 21**

"Andros?"

He jumped as Ashley laid a hand on his shoulder, tearing his gaze from the night sky.

"Sorry," she said softly. "Didn't mean to scare you... What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Andros."

"I'm fine, Ash," he insisted. "I was just... thinking."

Ashley sighed. "Are you going to tell me what you're brooding about, or do I have to guess?"

"I'm not brooding," he insisted.

He could practically see Ashley roll her eyes. "What are you thinking about, then?" she asked softly.

He sighed and twisted out of her arms, only to find himself face-to-face with her. Her brown eyes were so reproachful he couldn't stand to look at her, and he found himself telling her half against his will.

"Zhane and Karone want to go home," he said finally, turning back to the window. "To KO-35."

Ashley slipped her arms around him, resting her chin against his shoulder. "And you want to go too."

"No," he mumbled, twisting out of her arms. "I don't."

"You do," Ashley said calmly, folding her arms across her chest. "Or else you wouldn't be staring out the living room window at midnight. Andros," she continued quietly, "you promised you'd talk to me."

"Yeah," he muttered. "I know."

"But you aren't," she said calmly. "Why?"

"I don't know," he mumbled, concentrating hard on the windowsill.

"I think you do," Ashley countered, her voice still even. "How long have you been feeling homesick?"

"I wasn't," he said. "Not until this afternoon when Zhane came to talk to me."

"What did he say?"

"That they need help," he said. "Food. Supplies. All the colonies are practically at war with each other for what supplies they do have. Someone has to help them."

"And you want to be that someone?"

There was no reproof in her voice, and Andros found himself nodding. "They're my people, Ash," he said quietly. "I feel like I've abandoned them."

"But you haven't," she insisted. "You've spent your life fighting for them. You shouldn't feel that you owe them anything."

"But I do owe them," he said, more sharply than he'd intended to. "I owe them everything, and just because I live on Earth now doesn't mean that KO-35 is any less important to me than it was before."

"I know that," Ashley said quickly. "That's not what I'm saying, Andros. I just meant that you shouldn't want to help them only to keep yourself from feeling that you've abandoned them. If you want to help them, it should be because you love them, not because you feel guilty."

"I do love them, Ash," he said.

"I know you do," she assured him. She paused. "So you want to go."

"Yeah," he admitted. "I do."

"Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Going." When Andros stared at her strangely, Ashley rolled her eyes, asking, "Are you going?"

He blinked, surprised that she would even ask. "No."

"Why not?"

Her voice told him that she already knew the answer. "I can't just leave you, Ash."

"You shouldn't stay here just for me," she said quietly, glancing away. "You wouldn't be gone forever, and I can't ask you to stay if you'd rather be somewhere else."

"No, Ash," he said, shaking his head. "I need you, Ash, and I couldn't just leave you behind."

She looked away, but he thought he caught a smile on her face. "Andros," she said slowly, thinking as she spoke, "is this what you want? To go?"

He nodded. "But-"

"Is KO-35 what you want?" she continued, not giving him the chance to speak. "More than anything?"

"No," he admitted. "It's not. If I never went back, I'd be all right."

He almost laughed to see Ashley roll her eyes. "What do you want, then?" she demanded.

"You," he said simply. "You're all I'll ever need."

"You have me," Ashley whispered, the annoyance fading from her face, replaced by something almost sad. "You're saying that you'd spend your life here unhappy just to be with me."

"I wouldn't be unhappy," he insisted.

"You already are," Ashley pointed out. "It hurts to see you unhappy, you know."

"I-"

"I want to go with you."

He blinked at her. "What?"

"I want to go with you," Ashley repeated slowly. "If you go, I want to go to KO-35 with you."

"You... do?"

She nodded her head firmly. "If you wait until I finish the semester, I'll go with you. Forever, if you want."

"Ash, forever is a long time."

"A long time that I promised to spend with you," she retorted, laying her left hand over his. "Andros, I **love** you. If I'm the only reason you're here, I think we should go."

"Ash..." He hesitated. "You'd be giving up your home. Your life. Your friends."

"You gave that all up for me," Ashley said quietly. "I can do the same for you."

"Are you sure?"

"Were you?"

"No," he admitted, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I love you, Ash."

"I love you too," she whispered. Carefully, she reached out to him, brushing his hair back from his eyes. He leaned into the caress and she smiled, slipping her arms around his neck. Andros pulled her close, her lips sweet against his own as he kissed her hard.

Ashley shifted restlessly, realizing just how long it had been since he'd kissed her like that. She leaned into him as his grip on her grew, his kisses leaving her lightheaded and short of breath. She made a soft sound in protest as he pulled back, the sound dying away as he scooped her up into his arms. With a grin, she relaxed against his chest as he slowly carried her up the stairs to their bed.

**Author's Note:** All right, from here the story can go several different ways. I can't quite decide, and since you're the ones who have to read it, I figured I'd ask you. The only actual question is do you want this story to end happy or not so happy? The sequel will end happy no matter what, but the way this one ends pretty much determines which plot I go with for the sequel. Thanks.


	23. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** Not mine at all.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Not so happy? I think I've decided... Tell you later if you're on. Or did I already tell you?_

_**Chylea3784:** There's definitely going to be a happily ever after somewhere. I'm addicted to happy endings. :P_

_**Jeanka:** It probably will be not so happy._

_**Arwennicole:** They'll have a happy ending, but it might not be for awhile, but don't worry, the sequel will pick up almost directly where this one leaves off._

_**TrueRomantic:** I know, it does seem wrong to make them unhappy, even though I think I'm probably going to go that way. I promise I'll write a story someday where it's completely fluffy and the worst thing that ever happens is Andros freaking out a bit when he hears he's going to be a daddy. :P_

_**C.C.C:** Here's more, and it'll probably be not so happy._

_**lareinaSelena:** It won't be as sad as my original ending was, but it won't be exactly happy, either._

_**Just Jill:** I can't seem to finish a story without the feedback I get from all of you. :P I chose an ending, though._

_**Jessica01:** Nothing horrible happens, just nothing good, either. The sequel will be happy, though._

_**Jenny:** I like all of the possible plotlines that I was considering for the sequel, and all of them will end up as stories eventually, one of them as soon as I finish STL Part 3 and the sequel to this one. And don't worry, the sequel will be completely A/A. :D_

_**Amanda:** I think it probably is going to end with a good cliffy._

_**Tasha:** I'll never break them up and keep them that way, I can promise you that much._

**Chapter 22**

Ashley woke slowly, her mind reluctant to return to the world of the living. Her eyes blinked open and then shut again as drowsiness threatened to overwhelm her. Vaguely, she was aware of two eyes fixed on her, but she was too tired to care. Then a hand was stroking her cheek gently and she opened her eyes again, this time in annoyance.

"I was sleeping," she complained, burrowing her face into her pillow to escape the hand.

"Sorry," a voice whispered in her ear. "I thought you were awake."

Her eyes opened then, reluctantly. Chagrin slowly took the place of irritation as stared into Andros's hazel eyes. He relaxed as her eyes softened and reached out to her, resting his palm against her cheek once more.

"Sorry," she offered sheepishly. "Morning."

"Morning," he answered softly, a smile of pure joy upon his face. He hugged her close without warning, and Ashley laughed in surprise, squirming to get her arms around him in return. It was difficult; he was holding her so tightly that her arms were pinned to her sides.

"I love you," she murmured, nuzzling her face into his bare chest. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Ash," he replied. He said nothing else for several minutes, and Ashley was perfectly content to lie in his arms as one of his hands toyed with her hair.

"Last night," he said finally. "Last night, you said you wanted to go to KO-35."

Her hair tickled his skin as she nodded. "If you want to go, I'm going with you."

Andros smiled and hugged her a little closer to himself. "Thank you," he whispered into her hair. "You don't know what that means to me."

"Andros..." Ashley pulled back to stare up at him sadly. "You're talking like I'm making a huge sacrifice for you. And I'm not."

"Ash--"

"It's not that I wouldn't," she continued. "You know that. There's nothing left for me here, Andros. I want to leave almost as much as I want to be with you."

"But this is your home," he said softly, staring at her in confusion. "There's always going to be something for you here. Your friends are here. Your life is here."

"No, Andros," she said gently, placing a kiss on his chest. "My home is with you. I can always come back to visit my friends, but my life isn't here. I belong with you, Andros, just as much as you belong with me."

"So... you really want to?"

Ashley laughed and kissed him again. "Yeah," she said, smiling up at him. "I really want to."

Andros smiled and buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. "You'll like it there, Ash," he assured her. "It will probably be chaotic at first, but after a few months, everything will settle down."

"I was a ranger," she reminded him with a grin. "I can take anything, Andros, don't worry."

"I know," he said softly. It was easy, really, to forget her strength. "But I didn't mean it like that."

"What did you mean, then?"

"I meant that once KO-35 goes back to how it was--before the war, I mean--then we'll find somewhere to live," he said softly. "I know I'll end up working with the government somehow, but you can have your design business or whatever you want to do."

"Yeah..."

Andros frowned into her hair. "What's wrong, Ash?"

"It's nothing important," she insisted quickly. "I didn't mean to say anything."

"It's important to you," he said quietly, trailing his hands up and down her spine. "Talk to me?"

She sighed and buried her face in his chest once again. Her words were muffled, but he could make them out clearly. "It seems so shallow sometimes," she mumbled. "You're going to actually help people, and all I'm going to do is make them look nice."

Andros frowned and pulled back, tilting her face up to meet his. "You're not shallow, Ash," he told her gently. "I've never known anyone as kind as you are, or as sweet, or giving. And besides," he added as an afterthought, "you've been a ranger. You're allowed to be a little selfish if you want."

"But--"

"You're not shallow, Ash," he repeated firmly. "I just thought that's what you wanted to do."

"It is," she admitted. "But you're going to help people..."

"Ash," he said softly. "I don't know how to do anything else, that's all. I want you to do what makes you happy, whatever it is."

"Designing makes me happy," she admitted. "But--"

"No more 'buts,'" he interrupted firmly. "I won't let you make yourself unhappy like this."

With a sigh, Ashley nodded uncertainly. She cocked her head at him and smiled slowly. "Since when do you decide what I'm not allowed to do?"

Andros smiled back in answer and caught her hand, kissing her fingers lightly. "I love you."

"Love you," Ashley murmured, burrowing her face into his chest. "I can really have my own design business?"

"Yeah." Andros smiled and nodded, stroking her hair with one hand. "We'll be all right, Ash."

Ashley nodded, pulling back just a moment later to stare at him intently. "Andros..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she assured him. "It's just... When you think about the future, do we have a family?"

Andros sighed and tightened his hold on her. "Yes," he murmured. "A little girl and then after that a boy."

"So you still want a family?" she asked again, just to be sure. "I mean, now that we have a choice..."

"Well, maybe not right now," Andros said slowly. "But someday soon, Ash."

"How soon, Andros?" Ashley paused, adding quickly, "I don't mean now, I just wanted to--"

"A few months, maybe," he said, silencing her with a kiss. "A year. I want children with you, Ash."

Ashley smiled and nuzzled herself closer to him, his words reassuring her that everything would be all right.


	24. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Sorry for the wait, but here's more. The next update should be sooner, my twisted mind came through:D_

_**Arwennicole:** I know, Andros and Ashley are so cute! Especially Andros:D Here's more, sorry for the long wait._

_**Jessica01:** Thanks._

_**Just Jill:** Yeah, something else is going to happen. _

**Chapter 23**

"Ash?" Andros called softly, closing the door behind him.

"In the bedroom," he heard her shout, her words followed by a loud crash. He hid a smile as Ashley swore loudly, and quickly made his way up the stairs. Ashley glared at him as he appeared in the doorway, and he hid his amusement as best he could.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded ruefully, her expression softening into a sheepish smile. "I was trying to pack," she explained, surveying the mess at her feet. "I don't think the box was strong enough."

"Really?" he teased. "I **know** the box wasn't strong enough."

She glared at him, but had to laugh. "Help?"

Andros tossed his jacket onto the bed and knelt beside her, reaching for the roll of tape that had been under their bed the day before. A few strips of tape reenforced the cardboard enough so it wouldn't give way again, and Ashley dumped a pile of books back into the carton.

"Where'd these come from?" he asked curiously. "Why were they in our closet?"

"Wedding present," Ashley said absently. "And they were in our closet because we don't want to read the encyclopedia?"

"The what?"

"Never mind." Ashley sighed, and then perked up. "Hey, these won't be of any use on KO-35."

Andros's mouth quirked up into a smile and he settled himself crosslegged across from her. "I take it you want to get rid of them?"

"Yeah," she said. "Where's the pile of stuff we're getting rid of?"

"The corner?" he suggested. Ashley glanced around the room and raised an eyebrow at him. He laughed. "One of the corners."

Ashley groaned. "Does this mean we have to go through them all over again?"

"I'll do it," Andros offered. "You've been in here, what, all day?"

"Only a few hours," she said with a shrug. "I'll sort through them. You don't have to."

"Or," Andros suggested as he stood, "we could just get rid of everything."

Ashley laughed and grabbed the hand he offered her. "We should," she agreed, glancing around their room in dismay. "We're moving in a month, and we can't even get our room packed."

"We could," he said seriously, settling himself comfortably on the bed. "If you wanted to."

"Really?" she asked in surprise, curling up against him.

He nodded. "Zhane called me today. He said that things are already doing much better. The Alliance finally got supplies through to the border worlds. And besides that, if they offer us anything, we can't refuse."

Ashley nodded. "It's probably more practical not to move everything we own halfway across the universe..."

"We'd just need to bring our clothes," he said, quickly warming to the idea of leaving most of their belongings behind on Earth. "Not even that, really."

Ashley giggled and nuzzled closer to him. "What, do you want me walking around KO-35 naked or something? Don't answer that," she added hastily when his mouth moved.

"I was just going to say that we can find more clothes there," he said defensively.

"Sure you were." Ashley grinned.

"I only meant that... Look," he said hastily, causing Ashley to dissolve into a fit of giggles. "I say we should leave everything here and start over again when we get there."

"I agree," she said, arching against him as she stretched. "So... what do we do with all the stuff in all the boxes?"

Andros considered. "Give it away?"

Ashley sighed and settled back into him. "You're smart."

"You sound surprised," he teased her.

"Maybe I am," she shot back. "Zhane couldn't have called you an idiot all those times for nothing, after all."

"Since when do you agree with Zhane?" he grumbled, though he was smiling.

"He kinda had a point," she insisted. Ashley sat and kissed his cheek, twining her arms around his neck. "But I love you anyway."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he demanded indignantly, still unable to hide his smile.

"Nothing," she murmured in his ear. After a moment's deliberation, she grinned to herself and nipped at his earlobe, whispering, "I love you."

"Ash," she heard him mutter as he pulled her onto his lap. "You were joking, weren't you?"

"Yeah," she said breathlessly, her mouth finding his. "Weren't you?"

"Yeah," he muttered against her lips, somehow managing to speak between her kisses. "I just... wanted... to be... sure..."

"You're so cute," she whispered, lacing her fingers though his.

Andros lay back against the pillows as she relaxed on top of him, practically sinking down into him. He snared her around the neck with one hand and held her to him as her fingers buried themselves in his hair, lightly caressing his scalp. He squirmed slightly against her touch, and she grinned, letting her hands trail downward just a bit. If there was one place Andros was ticklish, it was the back of his neck, and she had no qualms about taking advantage of that knowledge.

"Hey!"

His hands closed around her wrists even as he jolted in surprise, and he carefully pried her arms from around his neck. She pouted, but rolled off of him, and curled up at his side.

"What was that for?" he demanded. One hand came to rest on her waist, and for a moment, she thought he was debating whether or not to attack her in return, but then his hand slipped around behind her, pulling her close up against him.

She shrugged. "Sorry."

"You're not," he accused, placing a kiss in her hair, and Ashley didn't deny it. "I knew it. You--"

Andros jumped at the sudden ring of a telephone, glancing over at the nightstand on Ashley's side of the bed. She was far closer to the phone than he was, but made no move to answer it.

"Ash?"

"What phone?" she mumbled, nuzzling closer to him. "I don't hear a phone."

He made a face at her, but reached over her. He couldn't quite reach and pulled it forward telekinetically, pushing the talk button as he settled back down beside Ashley.

"This is Andros."

"Where's Ashley?" the woman on the other end demanded. "I need to talk to her."

"Who is this?" he asked suspiciously. The voice was vaguely familiar, but after the whole incident with David, he didn't care.

"Where's Ashley?" she demanded again. "What have you done with my daughter?"

"She's right here," he said quickly, wincing as he glanced at Ashley's peaceful face. _"Ash, it's your mother."_

"Tell her I don't feel like talking to her," Ashley muttered, tensing. Andros didn't reply, and she opened her eyes a moment later, not wanting to put him in that position. With a sigh, she reached out and took the phone from him.

"Mom?"

"Ashley, you need to come to the hospital," her mother said urgently.

"What?" she said, pulling away from Andros slightly. "Why?"

"You're father's been in an accident," Alice informed her.

"What?" she cried, cold with fear as she remembered her own accident and how close she had come to death. "Is he all right?"

"Just come here," Alice said, and hung up.

"Ash?" Andros touched her face gently, brushing stray hairs from her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"My dad," she whispered. "He was in an accident. I--I have to go see him."

Andros gave her a quick squeeze before letting her scramble out of bed in search of her shoes. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Ashley paused, and nodded slowly. "You'd want to?"

"Yeah," he lied, nodding his head. "You shouldn't be alone, and if nothing else, you shouldn't drive like this."

Ashley winced, but took his hand gratefully. "Thanks," she murmured.

"Come on, Ash," he said gently, leading her out of the room. "It'll be all right."


	25. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** Disney owns the Power Rangers.

_**Arwennicole:** Well, here's more. Things don't really go so well, but you'll see..._

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Here's more... finally. :P_

_**Just Jill:** Ashley's parents never knew she was pregnant. They did know she was in an accident, but that wasn't in the story._

_**Jessica01:** I need him alive, though._

_**Jenny:** I wasn't sick of Ashley's parents hating Andros when I started this story, but I'm getting there. I think I've only got two more stories where they hate Andros, but both those stories are just evil, so I won't be writing them for awhile. I know this is really depressing. My next story is actually fluffy, I promise._

**Chapter 24**

"Mom!" Ashley rushed up to her mother, Andros following close behind. "Where's Dad?"

"He's in a room down the hall," Alice said, waving an arm down the hall as she led them out of the crowded waiting room. "He's talking with Jeff now."

"Talking?" Andros repeated. "So he's all right, then?"

"Would he be in the hospital if he was all right?" Alice snapped. "He broke both his collarbone and his leg, and he's got a mild concussion."

"But he's not going to die, right?" Ashley said, watching as Andros struggled to suppress his sudden outrage.

"Don't be stupid, Ashley, who's ever died of a broken leg?"

"Mom, wait," Ashley said, shooting Andros a sharp look as his mouth opened. "Why did you call me?"

"So you could see your father." Alice didn't look back at her daughter as they turned the corner and stopped before a closed door.

"Does he want to see me?"

"Ask him yourself," Alice said, pushing through the doors.

"Ash, you can leave now if you want," Andros said quietly, catching her stung look. "You don't owe them anything."

"I might as well," she sighed. "Maybe we can work this out."

She didn't look convinced. Andros sighed as well, and pulled her into a quick hug. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "Please."

"You didn't need to ask," he said softly, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. "I wasn't going to leave you anyway."

Ashley managed a brief smile, one that faded quickly the moment she stepped into her father's hospital room. Daniel Hammond had his leg in a cast and bandages over various smaller injuries, but he was relatively unharmed. He almost looked relaxed as he leaned back against the pillows of his bed, but the expression darkened the instant he laid eyes on his daughter.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Dad..." Ashley stared at him helplessly, not speaking again until Andros squeezed her fingers gently. "Mom told me you were in an accident, and I--"

"What's he doing here?" Daniel interrupted, his eyes narrowing at his son-in-law. "You're not still dating him, are you?"

"No," Ashley whispered. Her grasp on Andros's hand was becoming quite painful as she swallowed and said, "Dad, Andros and I are married."

"You're what?" Daniel and Alice exclaimed together.

"When?" Jeff asked calmly, leaning back against the window sill.

"Six and a half months," Ashley said quietly, edging closer to Andros. He held her a bit closer, uncomplaining as she continued to crush his hand.

"You've been married for six and a half months?" Daniel demanded. "Were you ever going to tell us?"

"We sent you an announcement," Ashley defended herself. "You wouldn't accept my calls."

"Congratulations, you guys," Jeff said suddenly, smiling warmly at the two of them. "You deserve it."

"Thanks, Jeff," Ashley mumbled awkwardly, now wishing that she hadn't come. There was going to be a lot more explaining, and most of it she didn't feel like discussing.

"Six and a half months," Alice mused. "That's longer than I ever would have thought he'd stick around."

Ashley relaxed slightly at the grudging admission. "Does this mean we can talk?"

"Maybe." Alice sighed, her tone hardening as her gaze fell on Andros. "But it hasn't even been a year. Half of all marriages end in divorce now, Ashley."

"I love Ashley," Andros spoke up suddenly, not giving Ashley the chance to respond. "I love her, and I am never going to leave her."

"That's what you say now," Daniel said. "But how about when things get hard? How does she know you're not just going to run?"

"Things have already gotten hard," Ashley snapped, her temper flaring. "He's still here."

"That's what you think now," Daniel snapped back. "But Ashley, a fight or two is nothing like--"

"A fight or two?" she repeated dimly. "Dad, you have no idea how much I wish that's all it was! You don't know what's happened, so stop pretending that you do. Andros and I are married, and if you don't like that, we'll leave and you can just forget that we were ever here."

"What's happened, then?" Alice settled back to sit on the bed beside Daniel, laying a hand on his arm. Ashley watched them, tears springing to her eyes. For all their faults, they were still her parents, and she loved them.

"Shh," Andros murmured, drawing her into his arms completely as he shot her parents a healthy glare. "It's all right Ash."

"What happened?" Alice repeated, her tone a bit diminished now.

Ashley let out a shaky breath in a sigh and sat in one of the chairs shoved up against the wall. Andros sat beside her and wrapped both his arms around her as best he could without pulling her onto his lap, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"Do you want me to tell them?" he asked quietly. "I won't mind."

"No." Ashley shook her head. "I have to."

"Tell us what?" Daniel eyed the pair of them suspiciously. "Ashley, what's going on?"

"I... I was pregnant," she said in a rush, wincing at the outraged shock on her parents faces. Andros squeezed her hand comfortingly, rubbing small circles across the back of her hands with his thumbs.

"You're pregnant?" Jeff was the first to break the silence. "Since when?"

"I'm not pregnant," Ashley whispered, tears pressing against her eyes. "Not anymore."

"You had an abortion, you mean?" Daniel looked relieved.

"No," Ashley snapped, a few tears escaping her eyes. "I'd never do that, Dad, and you know it."

"Where's the baby, then?"

"We... He died," Ashley said finally, losing her battle not to cry. "I was in a coma for two weeks after the accident, and the doctors told Andros that if he didn't let them abort the pregnancy, I wouldn't come out of it."

"Ashley..." Alice sighed. "We didn't know."

"I tried to tell you," Andros snapped suddenly. "You just hung the phone up."

"We didn't know," Alice repeated coldly. "For all we knew, you were calling to ask for money."

"Well, I wasn't," Andros retorted. "I was trying to tell you that Ashley was hurt, and you wouldn't listen. Even after Cassie finally managed to tell you, you didn't even come see her in the hospital! She was in a coma, and you didn't care, but now we're here just because he has a broken leg?"

"Andros--"

"It's all right, Ashley," Daniel interrupted, glowering at Andros. "I could have died today, and when I realized that, I realized that there were some things that weren't as important as I thought they were. Ashley, you're our daughter, and we do love you. If that means we have to accept who you love, I think we're ready to do that."

Daniel's last few statements were made through grit teeth, Ashley saw, watching her father and her husband glare daggers at each other. With a sigh, she touched Andros's arm, scowling at both of them.

"Don't make this worse," she hissed at Andros, saying aloud, "Dad, if you and Mom think you can do that, we'll talk once you're feeling better. I'll come see you tomorrow, all right?"

"Sure," Alice said stiffly. "We'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Night, everyone," Ashley said uneasily, tugging on Andros's arm to bring him to his feet. "Get well soon, Dad."

Ashley exited the room calmly, but once in the corridor, she stormed off down the hall. Andros followed more slowly, the expression on her face telling him quite clearly that she was far from pleased.


	26. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

_**Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow:** Fun? You **do** have a twisted mind. :P_

_**Just Jill:** Both._

_**Mel:** Ashley's dad got into the accident, not Jeff, but the rest was right._

_**Jenny:** Yeah, that was some progress, but if Andros wasn't being pigheaded, there would have been more. :P_

_**Neviegirl:** I'd hate to be their daughter too. But at least they're listening now._

**Chapter 25**

"Ash?" Andros asked tentatively. He spared her a quick glance before turning his attention back to the road, his heart sinking as he met her glare. "Ash, I--"

"Did you have to yell at them?" she demanded. "They were trying to make things better!"

"I'm sorry," he muttered after a long silence, the words too obviously forced. "But Ash, that's not what it seemed like to me."

"What did it seem like to you, then?" she snapped. Andros swallowed, knowing she had meant to sound that harsh.

He shrugged, struggling to think up an answer. "I think... I think that they wanted to make you feel guilty... for leaving in the first place."

"Or maybe," she said coldly, "they really did realize that you can't take anything for granted."

"Maybe," he admitted. "But they still didn't look too happy to see either of us."

"They're just uncomfortable," she insisted. "The only time all of us have been together was that night at dinner, and that didn't go well."

"No," he agreed. "It didn't, but I don't think that that's all there is."

"Then what else is there?"

"They don't like me," Andros said with a calmness he didn't feel. "I don't think they ever will."

"If you act like you did tonight, you can't blame them," she retorted.

Andros sighed softly, remembering a time when she had defended him, not her parents. From the slight wince he caught on her face, she was remembering too.

"I'm sorry," he said again, the words now almost sincere. He sighed. "I'll apologize to them, too."

Ashley shot him a sharp look. "If you're trying to impress me or something--"

"I'm not," he cut in quietly. "I'm serious. Would it help any?"

"I..." Ashley hesitated. "I think it would. They might not show it at first, but... maybe with a few months..."

Andros sighed. He wanted very much for Ashley to have a relationship with her parents, but he truly didn't know how much of their animosity he would be able to swallow. Ashley's hand on his arm surprised him, but he quickly saw that her eyes had softened.

"I promise I won't let them go too far," she told him quietly. "As long as you promise you'll really try."

"I will," he murmured, making the final turn to their house. "You know I will."

"Yeah," Ashley agreed, squeezing his fingers lightly. "I do. You don't do anything halfway."

He smiled slightly, unbuckling his seat belt with a quiet sigh. "Ash, I love you."

"I know, Andros," she whispered. "I love you too."

His smile faded as he stepped out of the car and quietly shut the door behind him. Ashley stared after him in confusion, wondering what she'd said. She knew Andros didn't doubt her love for him, but that left her heart slowly sinking down into her stomach. Something was bothering him, and Ashley wasn't at all sure that she wanted to know what it was.

Still, she couldn't just hide out in the car all night long, so with a heavy sigh, she slammed her door behind her. Andros hadn't bothered to turn on any of the lights when he'd entered the house, and a dark hallway greeted her. Ashley sighed again and locked the door behind her, considering just leaving him alone. She decided against it a moment later, knowing she owed him an apology. She'd been frustrated with her parents more than with him, but he'd born the brunt of her anger.

"Andros?" she called, hearing no reply as she headed up the stairs. "Andros?"

Their bedroom and bathroom were silent and empty, and Ashley sighed. Turning, she headed down the hall, her feet silent of the carpet. Andros was where she had expected to find him, standing at the window in the room that would have been their son's. Ashley bit her lip as she watched her husband, silently taking in how he stood with his shoulders hunched and his arms clenched at his sides.

"Andros?"

He turned to look at her then, and Ashley didn't know what to make of the resolve she saw in his eyes. She took a careful step towards him, and when he made no move to stop her, rushed over to take him in her arms. It was a moment before Andros returned the hug, but when he finally wrapped his arms around her, he held her almost too tight for her to breathe.

"He would have been born around now," Andros whispered, lightly kissing her hair.

Guiltily, Ashley realized that he was right. She would have been eight and a half months pregnant if they hadn't lost their baby, nearly a mother. It had been weeks since she'd thought about their little boy, and now that she realized it, she was disgusted with herself. She shouldn't have forgotten her own child like that.

Only when Andros dried her tears did Ashley realize she was crying. Sniffling, she buried her face in his shoulder, letting him hold her while she fought for control of herself.

"Don't cry," Andros pleaded, rubbing her shoulders gently. "Ash, I didn't mean... You're not a bad mother for not thinking about him."

Ashley sniffled a final time and swallowed hard. He could read her so easily. He'd always been able to, and it never failed to put her at ease. Letting out a deep breath, she buried herself deeper into his embrace, nodding uncertainly.

"Ashley, why did you marry me?"

The question came so suddenly Ashley nearly told him the truth. "Because I love you," she said firmly.

"Ash," he whispered, his voice so low and sad Ashley realized he already knew. "Why did you really marry me?"

"Because I was pregnant," she mumbled, quickly adding, "But I do love you, Andros, I really do."

"I know," he assured her, stroking her hair absently. "I've never doubted that. Ash, why did you want to go to KO-35?"

"To be with you," she answered instantly. "To help the people there."

"Ashley..." She felt him take a deep breath, and clung to him harder, the pit in her stomach growing as she realized what he was thinking. "Do you... When your parents said they wanted to work things out, did you believe them?"

"Yes," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "Andros--"

"Do you want the chance to do that?"

"Yes," she mumbled, her tears escaping her control. "But Andros--"

"Shh," he murmured, still stroking her hair. "If you leave with me, you'll never have that chance. Ash, I... I want you to stay here."

"No," she cried loudly, shaking her head wildly. "No, Andros, I'm not staying here without you."

"It's all right," he whispered, holding her so close Ashley wondered if he could just pull her into himself. "Not forever, Ash."

"I don't care," she insisted. "I don't want to stay here without you."

"You want to be with your family," Andros said, calmly drying her tears. "They do love you, Ash, and you should spend a few months with them before you move half a universe away."

"But what about us?" she persisted, alarmed to find her reluctance fading. "Andros, I can't lose you."

"You won't," he promised, kissing her hair. "You'll never lose me, Ash."

"Andros," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I was angry with you."

Andros just pulled her closer, but Ashley heard him swallow. "It's all right," Andros whispered back, rubbing her shoulder. "Don't worry about that anymore. It doesn't matter."

He didn't want to leave her, Ashley realized slowly, feeling how strong his grip was. He wasn't going to abandon her here on Earth and build himself a new life on KO-35. He really did want her to have time to say goodbye to her family and friends, and it was that that made her agree.

"How long?" she whispered.

"However long you need," Andros told her, kissing away her tears. "Just come back to me when you're done."

"I'd **never** leave you," she swore. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ashley," he whispered. "Always and forever."

**Author's Note:** There is a sequel to this, I promise you, but it won't be up for awhile. You've probably noticed how updates were getting further and further apart--my inspiration was dying. As soon as it comes back, I'll start work on the sequel, and I have another story ready to go as soon as I finish "Somebody to Love Part I." Please review.


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